The Shadows
by Ryan1882
Summary: Bella Swan has never been known for her 'good luck'. Her life has been one nightmare after the other: Full summary inside. AU OC Bella/Kate F/F
1. One

**AN: Disclaimer: I do not own twilight. To begin with this is rated T. It could change to an M at some point!**

 _ **Summary:** **Bella Swan has never been known for her 'good luck'. Her life has been one nightmare after the other: her parents dying, being adopted and then being abused in her adopted home. The one good thing she has in her otherwise average life is her adoptive sister: Lisa. Bella's bad luck continues to escalate one terrible morning when she wakes to horrors beyond her worse nightmares. Follow Bella in her desperate attempt to escape them, and the shadows that have been following her all her life.**_

 _Bella had often heard the saying, "If you keep going, even in the darkest of times, you will eventually find the light," or at least something similar. But today, she knows, somehow, that everything will change. She feels it in her blood; it sings to her from her gut instincts and reflects in the sky. Everything will change._

It's a typical day in December: heavy snow, and icy roads; the cause of so many accidents, and deaths. The pavements are slippery and scream warning at clumsy prone-to-accident- people to stay indoors, and avoid the injuries that hurt the ego more than the body. It's nearly seven in the evening and schools are closed for the holidays.

Usually at this type of year, with festive cheer all around, Bella can sense the happiness in whomever she passes on the street. The kids are happy because it's nearly Christmas, and schools are closed. Parents, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles and the like are stressed; trying to find decent presents for their relatives but are overall happy, and anxiously excited.

But this year is different; Bella can feel it. Something is wrong. From her place on the pavement, she saw a house on the end of the street, its Christmas decorations consisting of overly bright red and blue lights that light up the dark, gloomy sky. A large cluster of people is tightly packed together outside and she can see that some of them are crying.

There's yellow tape cutting off the public from the house, so Bella knows that whatever has happened is bad. Her curiosity is piqued and her body is preparing to release pity for whatever horror of events has taken place there. As Bella pads closer curiously, she notices a little girl, just one, sitting in the back of an ambulance she failed to spot previously.

The doors are open and the back of the ambulance is brightly lit, showcasing the small child wrapped in a thick, warm blanket and sipping from a steaming mug that is tightly clasped between her dainty hands. Bella frowns, puzzled because the scene looks, and feels familiar. Somehow, she even knows that the child is sipping hot chocolate.

Bella also knows, without knowing, that the child is counting snow fakes landing on the floor, rather than just burning a spot in to the snow with her gaze. The little girl is quiet and her gaze is only caught when an older man crouches before her, wearing a warm smile. He gently rubs a wet sponge over a cut on the girl's forehead.

Bella suddenly finds herself right next to the ambulance, but no one has looked at her, aware of her presence. It's as if she's invisible. The little girl shivers and Bella feels the shiver roll down her spine, as if it had been her shiver to begin with. From her close vantage point, she can see the man's eyes are blue, and the little girls are brown; like Bella's.

The girl makes no sounds, not even of pain as the older man rubs the sponge across her forehead. He finally sighs and throws the blood stained sponge into a bucket of water next to him. "I think that may be a scar one day," the man whispers gently.

A twinge on Bella's forehead has her fingers flying to the exact space on her head, where the younger girls fresh cut is still red and raw. She's surprised to find a raised line there, as if that red, raw cut had once been her own and had since healed into this thin, presumably white scar. Impossible.

Bella's attention is stolen by the younger girl who finally looks at the man in front of her and whispers, "will my mommy be ok?" Her voice, to Bella, sounds strange, almost indifferent.

The man coughs softly, presumably not wanting to reveal a harsh truth. Bella can see it in his tense expression but the young girl doesn't seem to be able to. "I-I'm not sure, sweetheart."

Bella can tell he's lying but again, the younger girl cannot and instead nods, assured by his semi-assurance. The man sighs as he stands and Bella can see it is to welcome two police officers that have just joined the conversation. One man steps forward, removes his hat and looks to the little girl with sympathy painted across his face.

For some unknown reason, Bella's heart begins to race; fast and hard, as if she knows what will come from this conversation and this police officer with the sympathetic features. A sweat breaks out across her skin.

"Do you think you could give us a minute, please?" He politely asks the ambulance man, who takes a quick glance at the little girl before nodding and stepping away.

The police man now steps forward, bending like the previous man had, to talk one-on-one with the child. His voice is calm, and slow. Practiced. Bella's pulse sky rockets. "You must be Isabella?"

Bella startles out of her panic. The child shares her name? The girl simply nods her head in response.

"So Isabella, I have to ask you: did you see what happened? Anything at all?"

"Jim," a warning voice hisses and Bella sees it's the other police officer: a woman.

Bella looks back at the young girl and she can see her eyes are filled with sadness. She feels sucked into them. Her whole world shifts and it feels as if her body is propelled into the little girl and suddenly, this is her. She is the little girl. She is Isabella, and this is a memory: a dream. She knows what's going to happen next and she doesn't want it to.

Bella fights herself, her old mind trapped in this young girl –this memory- and tries to wake up. But she can't and her memory plays itself out, torturing her. The events of this terrible day continue: the man begins to speak, but is cut off by a scream. He and the police woman run to the commotion, demanding to know what's happened.

"It was the blood, Sir! She couldn't handle it; she just fainted when she saw the room," someone informs Jim and he's carrying a limp body.

Bella begins to tremble and cry, the memory-child she's trapped in scared and confused, whereas she is aware and desperate to escape. Jim turns to face her, his face falling at her terror. He rushes back over and hugs both Bella's, entwined together as they are, and shushes her. "It's going to be alright. It's going to be alright sweetheart. Everything is going to be ok."

 _Nine years later:_

Bella, in her present body once more, woke up –screaming- from the dream. She knew her screams carried outside the huge estate she was in. She realized instantly that her screams were fighting for dominance with yelling voices somewhere else and shut up in her curiosity. Lisa found her, damp with sweat and hugged her until she was calm.

When Bella was better settled, both her and Lisa left the estate and sought solace inside a barn, collapsing on the straw covered ground and clasping each other's hands.

"They're at it again, then? Why do they always fight at this time of year?" Bella whispered, pulling Lisa into her arms.

She felt Lisa shrug and barely heard her whispered, "I don't know, Bella. They just do."

The two girls were silent for a long time, listening to the shouts and screams. They both knew that a significant amount of time had passed and that it was very late. "It's almost bedtime," Bella whispered.

They both stood, sighing and prepared to leave their small pocket of comfort. "It sounds like they've stopped anyway," Lisa responded.

Both girls slowly made their way out of the barn and back into the estate via the garden rife with wild grass. They held hands as they walked the length of the garden before finally entering the large estate. The moment the door opened for them, they spotted a woman stood waiting for them with her arms cross tightly across her chest: Bella's adopted mother.

She clearly wasn't impressed with them. "Girls, I have told you about running out to the barn at this time of night! You're going to catch a cold, and your death."

Before either Bella or Lisa could speak in their defense, or just simply argue, the woman interrupted them. "I don't want to hear it! Go to your room, both of you."

With that both Lisa and Bella made their way up the stair case to the second floor and prepared to part ways to enter their separate rooms that were situated besides each other.

"Goodnight Bella," Lisa said, turning to hug Bella goodnight.

"Night Lisa," Bella mumbled into the other girl's shoulder.

Letting go of each other, they finally separated into their individual rooms, closing their doors firmly behind them. When each door was closed, Bella crawled back into bed and fought to get back to sleep. It took her a little while but she finally managed it, only to be woken some time later by shouting and smashing plates.

Bella had just sat up to find Lisa when her door opened, presenting the girl in question. She was trembling in her pajamas violently and was quick when she shut the door and joined Bella in her bed. They both lay down, hugging each other as Bella wiped the tears from Lisa's face.

"Shh, it's going to be alright, Lisa. Everything is going to be ok." Bella whispered the same sentence over and over as she slowly rocked both her and Lisa back to sleep.

When Bella woke once more, it was to the sun shining in her room, lighting it up. Unlike other bright mornings, no birds were singing and there was an eerie stillness to the air as Bella opened her eyes. Still half awake, she turned, yawning to wake Lisa up, only to panic when she caught site of dark, ominous blood staining the sheet beside her.

Bella screamed, shot up quickly and fell in her panic, landing hard on the floor. She looked down and screamed louder when she realized she had landed in a big pool of blood. Bella scrambled backwards, her hands slick with and staining the floor.

"LISA!" She begged, frightened of being in the blood covered nightmare alone.

Tears poured in hot, thick sheets down Bella's face. She stumbled from her blurred vision and blood stained hands in attempt to run out of the room. She pushed herself back off of the floor, still sobbing and wrenched open her bedroom door. There was more blood along the walls, and a stream leading down the stairs.

"LISA!" Bella screamed again.

Bella stumbled, hazy and dazed, into Lisa's room, sobbing when she saw that yet more blood coated the room; the bed, the walls, floor, doors and windows. The stench was ever worse. "Oh god, oh god, oh god," Bella chanted as she rushed down the stairs, staining her bare feet.

"LISA!"

On the last step, Bella tripped and slid along the floor, soaking her nightgown in the crimson gore. By the time Bella had gotten to her feet again, her gaze still blurred by tears, she had smeared more blood along the banister, wall and floor. She finally found purchase and raced through the hallways, wailing.

She found herself in the kitchen and collapsed the moment she saw the two mutilated bodies in there. She screamed, her voice cracking from the intensity before she gagged from the intake of rancid air. Dizzy, Bella stumbled over the bodies, still screaming for Lisa as she ran out of the smashed sliding doors, now devoid of their glass.

She instantly stepped on thousands of tiny shards that promptly imbedded themselves in her feet and hands, making her cry harder in pain and shock. "LISA!"

At first, while running, she thought the bloody footprints were own. It was only after a good time running, and sobbing, did she realize they were someone else's and that she had already been subconsciously following them. They took her to the grass garden and beyond that a small path she knew very well.

Bella ran all the way down it, finally coming to a stop at the end, trying to catch her breath. Her gaze was blurred and spotty from her lack of oxygen. She couldn't stop sobbing long enough to catch a decent breath and had to clutch her side in agony. Bella tried to calm down, tried to tell herself to find Lisa. She assessed her options quickly: straight ahead, to the right or to the left.

To the left were plain fields, the right was a small forest and straight ahead was the lake she and Lisa, her sister, had gone swimming every day in the summer. Still not thinking clearly, Bella made her choice and rushed towards the forest after choosing right. Her tears started again but she talked herself down. To the right was answers, and Lisa. To the right was safety.

 **AN: Thanks to my beta LeighJ11**


	2. Two

**AN: Disclaimer: I do not own twilight. To begin with this is rated T. It could change to an M at some point!**

The trees creaked under the intense weight and battering of the harsh winds, as a blood soaked and panicked Bella raced through the forest. Aside from the brutal winds and creaking trees, her racing heart took up all the hearing capability in her ears as it hammered in her chest. Her throat was aching and sore from screaming, but she continued to call for her lost sister.

"LISA!"

Hot tears poured down her cold cheeks, burning the skin in their wake as Bella stumbled clumsily through the thin line of trees surrounding her, pressing in on her, and trapping her within the fearful confines of the forest; away from society. Quickening her pace, Bella tried to put focus into her actions as she skipped a small stream of water.

She was unsuccessful, and instead tripped; soaking her foot and right through her thin gown. The only benefits of the frigid water were the eradication of blood from her clothes, although from what Bella could see in the dark, the material was still stained an ugly, rust red color. The further into the woods Bella travelled, the darker her surroundings became, and the more scared and confused she felt.

With the darkness came more injuries: branches pulling her hair like crooked, gnarly fingers and rocks that sliced the pads of feet from toes to heel. As the injuries accumulated, the more Bella's body became one big, pulsating ache and the more her mind spiraled into the dark and forbidden territory of madness.

As her running became a slower stumble, in pain as she was, the more her heart calmed to a slower, if not still unhealthy pace. Without her heart pounding in her ears, Bella began to hear different sounds that associated with the woods: animals, rattling wind, flowing water, tree branches rubbing together, and… something else. Something she couldn't determine.

Despite not having a name for the noise, it unnerved her and made her anxious, tickling her sixth sense. She felt acutely aware of her surroundings, despite the darkness, as if she was being intently watched. With her limited visual capabilities, Bella glanced around her but found nothing that caused alarm.

A tree branch snapped suddenly, frightening her into screaming which picked up in sound as Bella's foot glided over a lone tree branch and she fell, landing hard on her back. The position on her back had her sliding down a steep, muddy hill she hadn't seen and left her to crash down into rocks and obstacles designed to further batter her already battered body.

After what felt like a life time of screaming and grunting in panic and pain, Bella finally came to a crashing stop and slid straight into a pool of frigid water that felt murky; filled with dirt. Her body instantly locked up from the ice water and she scrambled to get out immediately. It took several attempts because of the slick floor but she was finally upright several minutes later.

Bella stood in shock for some time, her arms wrapped tight around herself, trying to hold in any ounce of warmth but failing miserably, and not at all aided by the elements. With the violent shivering she was now experiencing, Bella knew it wouldn't be long before hypothermia set in. She needed to find people, and warmth.

Bella set off on her sore feet once more, her body hunched in from the cold, her arms wrapped tight around her and her clothing dripping. After only a few minutes she began to feel dizzy, and sick. Her eyes darted around, trying to find a break in the trees or a sign of civilization somewhere, anywhere.

A terrifying feeling of being watched, of having eyes pressing in on her made Bella's heart race and tears spring to her eyes in fear. She was so scared, so tired and hurt and she was positive she was dying from her combined wounds and the chill that settled deep inside her, freezing even her bones.

Bella continued on, determined not to give up, if not for her then for Lisa. It had only just occurred to Bella that she had stopped calling Lisa's name when a loud, very startling crunch, followed by heavy breathing made Bella's insides curl over and her heart speed up. She turned fast, staring into the darkness, dreading what she would find.

The scream that rose up in her throat locked behind her teeth at the pair of bright, ominous eyes looking straight at her from the corpse of trees. By the time she had blinked however, the eyes were gone and that was the first moment Bella thought she might actually be going mad from her own terror. She was going literally going to be scared to death.

Knowing she had to move and find her sister, Bella ventured further into the darkness, her body still in intense agony. Her eyes and ears stayed stained, waiting for anything and expecting everything. Hours and hours went by as Bella walked. She knew it without knowing, because she felt like she was walking in an endless loop of darkness and fear.

Her feet were caked in dirt, most likely infecting all the cuts she had obtained in them. One more thing that was likely to kill her, she thought with detachment. She truly was going mad. Her body was exhausted, each cut and ache burning. Bella was positive she was going to die. She couldn't prevent it. Her legs were weak, and were crying to give out and rest.

She wouldn't allow it, knowing that the moment her knees unlocked, the moment she stopped would be her last conscious moment on this earth. She would drift away: cold, and in agony, to her death. The thought of Lisa kept her going for even longer. Bella wondered why the darkness wasn't lifting, turning into day. She would have more chance if she just had some sunlight.

On and on she walked until very abruptly Bella's legs finally gave out and she crashed, hard, onto the cold and unforgiving ground. Once on the floor, Bella resigned herself to the fact that she was done for. She pressed her back into a large log close to her, trying to settle in as best as she could and let herself slip into oblivion.

 _It is afternoon and the sun is shining gloriously; hot and welcoming. There is laughter, clapping and screams of delight from all around; celebrations. Warm grass tickles her feet as she looks at the banner hung up before her; high enough for everyone to see. The banner reads: Happy Birthday Isabella!_

 _Every person gathered in the small garden she finds herself in is smiling ear to ear. Bella's attention is stolen by a man who makes her heart squeeze as he begins a speech. His eyes are warm as he looks at her. "Family, friends: welcome! I thank each and every one of you for being here today for my beautiful daughter: Isabella, on her big day. Five! Growing up so fast."_

 _There is a lot of humored chuckles and a few glances at young Bella, smiles for her special day. Her father continues to speak, smiling and raising his glass. "Although she's growing up fast, she is still my beautiful baby girl, and I just wanted to raise a glass of juice –yes, juice! I'm a responsible man! - To Bella, one of the best things to ever happen to me."_

 _Her father raises his glass as if it were of the finest champagne, even though it is mere apple juice and toasts to Bella. Her family members and her parent's friends follow suit. As they break into chatter, they don't notice five-year-old Bella sneak away from the party, and vanish into the house beyond._

 _A young Isabella goes straight into the kitchen from the back door and comes face to face with a boy. A young boy who hates Isabella and forever bullies her behind both their parents back, despite being a year older._

 _Countless times she has told on the boy to both sets of parents, but he never stops and so she begins to take matters into her own hands. "Leave me alone Derek!" She shouts._

 _The young boy laughs before promptly slapping her across the face, leaving a burning print behind. Bella cries and follows it with a scream as Derek hits her again. She throws her arms over her face, scared of Derek hitting her once more. After a couple of seconds though, Bella feels something warm and gooey land over her upper body._

 _When she opens her eyes, she screams the loudest she has ever screamed in her young life. Music cuts off abruptly and then suddenly adults are there, gasping and screaming. Bella catches site of her father, who looks terrified as he picks Bella up, now crying, and hugs her close._

 _The dream becomes fuzzy from that point, because all Bella can remember is the police sirens and her father running her out of the house, with her clothes and skin covered in blood._

Bella shot awake, groaning instantly as she smacked her head against the tree she had used as a pillow. She realized she was crying and wiped her eyes hastily before pushing herself off the ground. She hated her nightmares or rather, memories, but she was almost thankful of this one, because it meant that she was alive.

As if to confirm her, her stomach began to rumble with hunger. Bella moaned softly, cradling her slim stomach. As she glanced around the forest, she was immensely grateful to find that the sun had finally come up, eradicating last night's fear and darkness. But she still felt the pain and fear for her missing sister.

Trying to access her surroundings with the new light, Bella spied a large rock up a head with a small smattering of trees, suggesting a break to open road. Feeling hopeful, Bella paced ahead quickly to the rock. From her new point of view, Bella let out a joyful shriek as she saw not an open road, but a small river and over that small river, a whole town.

Apparently she had been too eager from finding a new source of hope because the next thing she knew, she was once again tumbling down a hill and shrieking. Bella tried to tuck into herself, knowing she would just have to wait until she landed in to that cold river, and preparing herself.

Only this time, when she did land, something went seriously wrong. Intense pain ripped across her leg muscles, following it with a sharp crack of her bone and her knee colliding sharply with a jagged rock. Bella had never screamed so much in all her life. The pain was nothing she had ever felt before, or could compare.

It hurt so much she thought she would be sick from the dizzying pain. Her screams were cut off suddenly by her landing face first just besides the cool water of the fast flowing river. From the pain flaying up and down her leg and what she could feel, the bone was positioned in a dangerous angle and to make everything a thousand times worse, was trapped under numerous heavy rocks.

Lifting her banging head, Bella reached cut and bloodied hands towards another rock in front of her, that was implanted in the ground, and grabbed on tight to try and lift herself. One tiny movement made her swear up a storm and sent a wave of pain through her so intense she saw black spots around the edge of her vision.

It was stuck on the ground, pinned by the large and numerous rocks that Bella really started to panic. Dying in the darkness was one thing, but to suffer such pain and terror in broad daylight was awful. Bella attempted to move a few more times, swearing, crying and screaming every time. She finally pressed her hot cheek into the cool floor, panting from the pain.

It was only as she started crying again did she notice the rising water levels of the river. Oh please no, she thought miserably. No one can be this unlucky. Bella lifted her head with considerable effort to see if the water really was rising, which wasn't confirmed for a few minutes, until the ends of her hair were soaked.

Panic broke afresh, coating Bella's body in a cold sweat. She tried to twist her body but the rocks covered from her feet to her waist, effectively pinning her down. She realized she couldn't wiggle her way from under them, so she began pushing and pulling, trying to throw them off her but to no avail; they were too heavy.

A few more minutes and Bella began crying heavily, screaming for help and cursing any God or Gods that were so obviously trying to kill her. The water was now touching her jaw, freezing her teeth and soon it would drown her; she didn't have the upper body strength to hold herself away from it.

Knowing it was probably fruitless, Bella spent every ounce of strength she had screaming for help. None came and suddenly it was too much, it hurt too much to hold herself up or try to escape the inevitable. Her face splashed back into the water; entering her nose, mouth and sub sequentially her lungs, on impact. Darkness took her soon after.

Unbelievably, Bella woke up from death for the second time. From what she could feel, she was lay on a grassy bank and the river was at her feet. The minute she was consciously awake she began coughing and gasping, spitting out water from her lungs. She rolled onto her side quickly, trying to pull in cold, crisp oxygen.

When she was empty of enough water, Bella lay back on the grass and let the relief, and disbelief wash over her. How had she escaped death again? Who had saved her? Who had gotten all those heavy rocks off her, and pulled her out of the water? Sitting up was painful, but it had to be done.

Despite the curiosity burning her, she knew from the lack of people present she wasn't going to get answers and should instead hurry to that town she had saw before falling, and drowning. Before third time was the charm and she died from phenomena or hypothermia. Bella stood slowly, being cautious of her pain riddled body.

Her leg was in more pain than any other place on her body, but not as much as it had been, and she could stand on it, so it wasn't broken despite the crack she had heard. From assessing her surroundings, it was clear she would have to soak herself once more and move through the river if she wanted to get to that town.

Numerous times she nearly slipped on the rocks from her heavy, injured leg but she managed to keep her balance. She was desperate to run, but her body wouldn't allow it and so she adopted the fastest pace she could manage. At least twenty minutes later, which would have been ten if she could run, Bella finally felt concrete beneath her bare feet.

She was instantly surrounded by people who were bustling around her, getting on with their day. Many people who saw her pointed at her, but she couldn't stop and talk because she was feeling overwhelmed and concaved from pain, and hunger. She finally collapsed outside a white, ancient looking building.

Bella's eyes began to flutter but she heard shouts and pounding footsteps; people running. To her? She was slipping away she knew it, and tried to fight as hard as she could. She couldn't die now. She'd got through so much. Her eyelids struggled. Someone lightly tapped her cheek, helping her fight.

"Ma'am? Ma'am, are you all right?"

Bella tried to reply but something incomprehensible slipped between her lips. The person seemed to understand she needed help and was just picking her up as she slid into the darkness.

She woke again in a large room and a dripping noise that indicated fluids, and medicine. Someone had gotten her help, and saved her life. People were talking behind a white curtain, startling her. "This is her, one of the sisters that went missing," a male voice, full of stress, said.

"Have you informed the head office? They might want to contact-" A female was cut off.

"Of course. Did you see the state the poor girl was in? Anyway, don't worry: it's sorted. I want you and the rest of the team to spread out and search the fields for her sister; she's still missing."

At the mention of Lisa, Bella's heart began to race with terror. She was still missing! Instantly her heart monitor noticed the change in speed and began screeching. Bella tried to rise from the bed but was attached to too many tubes to do so. The amount of noise she created alerted the people on the other side of the curtain.

The curtain was yanked back roughly and a man in a white coat stepped through, followed by a police officer. They both rushed to her side and gently touched her shoulders, coaxing her back into the bed.

"Hey, it's okay. Just settle down, please," the doctor instructed her gently.

Bella did as the man said, tears rolling down her face as she looked between the two. "My- my sister… she wasn't with me. I don't know where she is!"

"I'll let my team know, and we'll spread out to look elsewhere, okay?" The officer gave her shoulder a tender squeeze before issuing the new order into his radio. He then turned back to Bella. "Isabella, I need you to understand that one of my team will have to come and ask you some questions. All right?"

Wiping at her wet face, Bella nodded in response but otherwise stayed quiet. The man smiled and then nodded towards the door, which seemed to be a signal because another police officer walked in holding a small notepad. She was accompanied by yet another police officer. Bella recognized the uniform; chief of police.

It was this man that spoke to her. "Isabella, we're so glad we found you. We've been looking for you since we got the call about the tragedy at your adoptive family's home. Unfortunately, we haven't seen any sign of your sister, but we're looking as hard as we can. We're 'gonna bring her home safe and sound: I promise."

The man paused, indicating to the female at his side. "This is Officer Cheri, and she's going to be taking note. Anything you can tell us, anything at all, about the attack and your sister, will be a great help." The man smiled once more before turning to the other man. "Gordon, a word, if you please."

The two left the room; leaving Bella, the doctor and Officer Cheri. The doctor left straight after the first two to give Bella and the officer some privacy. Once they were alone, Officer Cheri smiled warmly and opened her note book. "What do you preferred to be called?"

Shuffling under her hospital bed covers, Bella sat back against the firm pillows and answered quietly, "Bella. I like Bella."

The officer smiled, scribbling it down. "Well, Bella… I know his might be a big ask, but what can you tell me about the last time you saw your family?"

Looking Cheri in the eye, Bella gently bit on her lip before releasing it and shrugging. "I-Um, can't really remember," she lied.

Cheri smiled encouragingly. "Bella, we're here to help you. Anything you can tell us can, and will, help us find your sister. So what can you tell us?"

"I- my… they were fighting, as they always do. Me and Lisa, we… we ran away to the barn. Then after the fight we went back inside the house, and got in trouble for running around at night."

The woman nodded, writing it all down. "And do your parents always fight?"

Sighing, Bella nodded. "They aren't my parents, but yes: they always do. They… they…" Bella looked away sharply, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks.

Bella didn't look at her, but she could tell that Cheri was pinning her with a look of pity and sadness. "Bella, do they… have they ever… abused you? Or your sister?"

Without looking at her, Bella dodged the question. "Me and Lisa shared a bed that night. They continued to fight; plates were smashed and we could him beating- beating her up." She swallowed before she continued. "When I woke up, there was blood everywhere." Bella's voice cracked from remembering the sheer terror. "But I couldn't find Lisa. I searched, but I only found the... bodies."

Bella's voice had been cold, and uncaring as she had said 'bodies' and she knew that Officer Cheri didn't miss it. "Thank you, Bella. I'll let you rest, and I'll come back in a little while, okay? I promise that we will find your sister."

Promptly, Officer Cheri stood from the bedside chair she had settled into and walked over to Gordon, who had just walked back through the door. Bella noticed that he looked angry. "Did you find out anything that can-" He had begun to whisper, only to be cut off by the door blowing open once more.

"Sir, you have to see this! It's her record."

Bella's heart began to hammer in her chest and she quickly slid her eyes shut in panic. She pretended to be asleep, hoping they wouldn't take the conversation outside so she could hear what they had to say. There was silence, as if Gordon was glancing at Bella to ensure her sleeping status. Satisfied, he flicked through it. Bella could tell by the rustling of papers.

Silence, and then: "Well… It seems this isn't the first animal attack that has happened around miss Isabella Swan."

 **AN: So here is the second chapter I will at some point start to name them. This chapter might seem a little slow but thing are going to pick up real soon. Thanks to my beta LeighJ11 for being awesome with the cover art and for being the beta on this! I haven't had the chance to go through this so if there is any mistakes please let me know and Ill get to work fixing them anyway hope you all enjoyed thanks for reading!**


	3. Three

**AN: so still no chapter names yet! still rated T but darker chapters will be happening soon.**

There was a long, deep silence before Cheri spoke and broke it. "Sir, what do you mean? There's been more than one animal attack in her life?"

Bella carefully cracked open her eye, wanting to see the officer's facial expressions. Confusion was on Gordon's face, and his lips were thin. In contrast Cheri's face was blank, giving Bella no indication as to what they were feeling. Bella quickly clenched her eyes shut as she saw Gordon's head turning towards her.

He sighed deeply, which seemed to cover up Bella's panicked breathing; suggesting she most certainly was not asleep. "I think it's best that we speak in my office."

There was a combination of footsteps and shuffling, bodies moving before finally Bella's door closed and clicked. Bella continued to stay still for the moment, just in case anyone had stayed behind. She carefully cracked her eye open again and saw that she was alone. She quickly sat up, breathing hard.

They thought she was some kind of murderer, didn't they? They thought this was all her fault and that everything that had ever happened to her was her fault too. They weren't going to help her find Lisa, or find them a new home. They were just going to lock her up, and separate her from the one person in the world she loved.

She couldn't have that. She had to take matters in to her own hands; she couldn't sit around and wait for them to lock her up. With sweat dripping from Bella's forehead, she gripped the first tube in her arm. Her body was pulsating at the sudden movements she was putting it under and her heart was racing. Carefully but at a hurried pace, Bella began to pull.

"Shit! Fuck, fuck," she whimpered.

Clear liquid sprayed from the removed tube, soaking the sheet she was on and dripping on to the floor where she dropped the disconnected tube. Grabbing the other, still connected tube, Bella pulled that one out too, hissing along with the sharp sting. Taking a deep breath, Bella prepared herself for the onslaught of pain she was about to bring on herself.

She wiggled back on the wet sheet before forcing her bruised and bandaged legs over the edge of the hospital bed and placed her stitched feet down as gently as she could on the cold floor. Bella gasped and tears blurred her vision. It only really occurred to her in that moment how damaged the soles of her feet were and she'd have to be careful to not rip her stitches.

Bella gripped tight on to the bed, trying to keep herself stable, and balanced. She took a deep breath before releasing the post she had been gripping and slowly put one foot in front of the other. The pain was horrendous, sending spikes deep in her gut and traveling down her swollen legs and to the soles of her feet.

Her eyes were on the door, trying to formulate a plan: find some clothes and shoes, get out of the hospital, find information on Lisa and then find Lisa herself. Along the way she would need some money so she could travel. She wouldn't be walking no more; her body couldn't handle it. Bella felt the wetness too late. She slipped in the puddle, and crumpled to the floor.

When Bella's eyes opened again, rather groggily, she was surprised to find herself back in bed. Only this time, she was in a different room to the one she had tried to escape. She couldn't believe she'd slipped on her IV fluid. How did she have any hope of finding Lisa if she couldn't even escape a measly hospital room?

Bella looked around her, trying to assess her new surroundings. There were no curtains around her bed, like there had been on her previous one and there were two doors in her room: one to the left, and one to the right. There was a small T.V on the wall, and a window beside her bed, underneath a single chair.

Bella gasped in surprise when she caught sight of Officer Cheri, who was sat in the single chair. "Careful, you might end up hurting yourself," she said somewhat sarcastically.

"I didn't see you there," Bella mumbled, embarrassed.

Cheri smiled and immediately pulled a small notepad out of her pocket, without preamble. Her face turned serious as she looked at Bella with deep blue eyes. "I understand you just woke up, but it's very important that I ask you these questions; it will help with our investigation. Please, take your time: I know that you're in pain. After the questioning, we can get you some more pain medication."

Bella stared at Cheri for a moment, glancing over her ombre hair and pale skin. Her hair was pinned up but Bella could see where the dark brown at the roots blended into caramel blonde. With a small sigh, Bella looked away from Cheri's probing stare and instead looked to the T.V on the wall.

"Bella, I want to know, before we start, why were you out of bed? Were you trying to run away?"

Bella stayed silent. She couldn't trust these people. They thought she was a murderer. "Bella, it's okay. You can trust me. Please, I just want to help you."

Bella looked back at Officer Cheri, keeping her face blank. "How long have I been in here?"

The question seemed to throw the officer off guard. She flicked through her pages and quickly scribbled something down on the paper before answering. "You've been in this room for two days, but overall you've been here a week."

Bella's heart kicked sharply. A week. "Have you found Lisa?"

"Not yet."

One week. Lisa had been missing for seven whole days… or was it more? She'd been here for a week, but she'd been stumbling through the forest for a day at least, hadn't she? Eight days, nearly nine? Oh God. She could be hurt, or… Dead? No. Lisa was strong, and brave. Where ever she was, Bella had to believe she was okay.

Bella nodded finally and looked to Officer Cheri. She was surprised to find that something in the officer's face looked tense and… off. She seemed to sense that Bella was on to her, and sat up in her chair with a soft smile. "You know; you remind me of myself; when I was your age. I was always getting hurt: falling over, bumping into things and bruising my skin." She paused for a moment and swallowed softly. "Bella, I need to ask you something."

Playing with her hands, Bella mumbled, "go for it."

Officer Cheri nodded before she began to flick through the pages of her notepad. She paused a moment to write something on to a page before she looked up at Bella again. "Bella-"

The door opened, cutting off Officer Cheri from whatever she was going to ask next. Gordon and a doctor walked in and over to Bella's bed. The doctor started to check Bella's machines and vitals while Gordon stood next to Officer Cheri, still sat in the chair.

Gordon smiled calmly at Bella but addressed his question to the doctor at her side. "Well doc, everything good?"

The doctor smiled as he checked Bella's pulse which seemed to have gotten quicker since Gordon's entry. "Yes, nothing too dangerous."

Gordon quickly bobbed his head in a nod. "Good. Not to be rude, doctor, but can I kindly ask you to give myself, Bella and the officer an hour to do some questioning?"

The doctor looked down at Bella before nodding. "She's been through a lot, but she should be fine. I'll be back in an hour, as I have some tests to run."

With that the doctor left the room, leaving just the three of them staring at one another. "Bella, how are you feeling?" Gordon asked, clasping his hands together.

"I feel ok," she replied.

Gordon moved closer to her bed. "I know this is going to be difficult to hear but, I have to bring it up."

Bella swallowed, knowing what he was going to say. "Your whole life has been… sad and… difficult. You've been through one hell, and then sent straight to another. But there's something that sticks out on your record."

Bella looked straight in to his eyes, waiting to hear what she already knew he was going to say.

Letting out a small cough, he spoke calmly and slowly, letting his voice fill the room. "Bella, there have been tragic accidents that have happened all around you, your entire life, and well… going over your records, myself and my fellow police officers have agreed that it's suspicious."

Tilting her head, Bella's face was completely void of any emotion. "What are you insinuating?" Her voice was hard and cold, without Bella's conscious decision for it to be.

"Well, what I'm saying is: these accidents, they've been reported as animal attacks, due to the grizzly nature... well, look, that doesn't matter. What's important here is: we feel there might be something more to this."

Bella struggled to understand what the man was saying. Her eyes clouded over and tears began to fall. She was terrified that they were going to lock her up, and stop her from finding Lisa. "I can't help it if the devil follows me everywhere!" She screeched and her voice broke, which seemed to prompt Officer Cheri to lean forward and grab her hand.

"I'm very sorry Bella. It's just that we've looked over all the cases and while I can say that some were... vile, others just didn't make sense." He took a deep breath, racketing up Bella's nerves. "We believe someone is after you; someone who wants to cause you pain. We think they –whoever they are- have deliberately cut you off from all ties, and now that everyone you have cared about is gone, or in Lisa's case: missing, they could be coming for you –their intended target from the beginning- next."

There was a silence as Bella cried softly to herself. "W-what?" She gaped, shocked. "You think someone killed my parents? My friends? My… my..." Closing her eyes, Bella began to shake her head from side to side.

"Bella, again, I am very sorry. I didn't mean to bring up the past like this, but it's best you understand the full picture. What I need to know is: during the… animal attacks, did you ever hear anything? Anything at all?"

Wiping her eyes, Bella looked at Cheri who still held her hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze. "No, nothing. Ever."

Gordon's face seemed to grow sour. "That's all I needed to hear. I've decided that you will be going into protective custody," he announced suddenly, startling her.

Bella let go of Cheri's hand in surprise. "What? I am not going into protective custody! I don't need to. There's nothing to protect me from, and I need to find Lisa!" Bella panicked and began to sit up, before gasping in pain and going still.

"Bella, please don't move. You've been through a lot: physically, emotionally and mentally. I promise you that this is only temporary, and we will find Lisa."

"Will you!? I can't go into protective custody while she's still out there!" Bella clenched her fists, anger boiling its way through her skin, trying to chase out the fear.

"I understand that this is difficult for you, but please just take it easy. We will find your sister. You have my word on that. This is for your own protection, as much as hers. Please just let us help you."

Bella sat in silence for a few moments, debating the pros and cons of agreeing to the protective custody. She was just about to answer when Officer Cheri's radio blazed to life. "Officer Cheri, this is Officer Dara. I can't seem to reach the Captain. We've found something that we think may belong to the missing girl: Lisa, in green woods. Over."

The instant Lisa was mentioned Bella sat up straight and stared at Cheri. "They found something?"

Bella's gut was tight. If they found something that belonged to her, that meant that she had lost it. In a struggle? Please, God, please let her be okay.

"Copy that, Dara. The Captain is here, and we're on our way over."

There was a few seconds silence before the radio crackled again. "Negative; it's already on its way to you. We need the girl to identify it. Over."

Fear began to pull at Bella harder and panic rose in her stomach, making her feel sick and dizzy. Tears began to fall down her face. "Is… I- is it _her_?"

Cheri picked up the radio again, her gaze sympathetic. "Officer Dara, can you confirm: is it a body? Over."

The reply was instant. "Not a body, Officer. A jumper. Over."

The panic, fear and breaking of her heart began to slow down and disappear only to be turned into hope. "If it's her top, does that mean she's nearby?" Bella asked, staring at the two officers.

A loud knock startled her. "Captain," an officer greeted as he stepped through the door. He held in his hand a plastic, clear see-through bag.

Bella gasped. "That's hers! That's Lisa's! Have you found anything else?" Bella asked desperately.

The officer shook his head. "No ma'am, we haven't. But we now have a positive ID on the jumper. We're on the right track."

Gordon put his hand on the officer's shoulder. "Good work, Officer." He looked towards Bella and smiled softly. "Bella, this is good news. We're close: close to finding her." He then turned back to the officer holding Lisa's jumper. "All right, we need to double our team."

He suddenly turned to Bella again. She was going to get whiplash if she kept following his head movements. "Bella, I still feel it's for the best, just in the meantime, for you to go into protective custody."

Bella bit into her lip, worrying it between her teeth before she finally sighed in resignation. "Okay, just find my sister. Please."

Gordon nodded his head. "We will: you have my word, Bella. So here's the arrangements: you'll be staying here for the weekend, so the doctor can do some more tests and ensure that you're healing, and will continue to do so. Then on Monday morning, we'll be moving you to a small town in Juneau, Alaska. From there you will be under the secretive supervision of Sherriff Kate Denali."

 **AN: Short and not very much going on more or less a kind of filler so to speak.**

 **Thanks to LeighJ11 for being my amazing beta as always!**


	4. Four

**AN: Don't own twilight.**

The glowing sun was situated high in the sky and the rays spread unforgiving heat along the roads, causing pockets of heat waves to rise up and part as the police cruiser Bella was in drove through it. Bella had been told very little, but she knew that she was on the way to the capital of Alaska: Juneau, where she would be under the protection of Sheriff Denali.

The police officer escorting her to Sheriff Denali, and her protection, was Officer Cheri. Bella didn't mind so much, as she had taken a liking to her. "How's the stitches holding up?" The woman asked as they sped down a small highway.

Bella was actually holding her sides because she had the irrational fear that if she didn't, her body would simply fall apart without the aid of her hands. She felt fragile still, despite her mending status. She said as much to Officer Cheri as she kept her eyes trained on the scenery outside. "They're annoying, and itchy. Mostly they're just sore."

Ever since Bella had agreed to the protection scheme, in which she was to go into hiding and do nothing while they search for her sister -which still didn't sit right with her- the police officers had been acting more cautious around her, and alert. They genuinely seemed to believe that someone was after her.

Officer Cheri looked at Bella from the mirror and gave her a small smile. "Yeah, I hate stitches too. They're a bitch."

Bella answered with an animalistic grunt. Minutes passed as she watched the sun disappear to be replaced by dark clouds, thick with oncoming rain. Within another twenty minutes of this though the first droplets of rain began to fall and splash against the side windows. For a while the rain stayed a gentle patter before it turned into a hard lashing, beating at the glass.

Bella let out a small huff, a headache beginning to form from the aggressive rain and her stitches itching terrible. She wanted to scratch them but Cheri warned her against it, telling her that it would just take longer to heal. In the end Bella drifted in and out of sleep while Cheri drove in silence.

When she did wake up again, she took a few minutes to fully come-to before she decided to strike up conversation, knowing Officer Cheri must be bored out of her brain. "So… this person I'm going to be under the protection of, what can you tell me about her?"

Bella was amused as she watched the dreamy smile appear on Officer Cheri's face before she seemed to realize what she was doing and went red. She coughed timidly before she answered. "Sheriff Denali is well respected in Alaska. She's built her reputation on catching bad guys, and keeping her town, and others near it, safe from harm."

Bella nodded for Officer Cheri to continue as she was keen to hear more on Sheriff Denali. No one had really shared any kind of information with her, much less anything about the woman herself. "She's one of the youngest Sheriff's I have ever spoken to, no doubt about it, and she has a huge family: her, her parents and three sisters."

Bella's interested was piqued. "How old is she? Does she stay in the town?"

"I think she's twenty-four and no: she doesn't live in the town. They actually live on the border or outskirts, I'm unsure; in the woods is all I know. I've hear that their house is huge and has breath taking views. It'll be good for you Bella, and Lisa; when she's found."

Bella swallowed the lump in her throat at Lisa's name and instead diverted to a different question. "Why do they live in the woods, and not the town?"

Cheri raised an eyebrow in the mirror. "Curious thing, aren't you? But if I had to guess I'd say it simply comes down to wanting privacy. I mean, she's the Sheriff and she must know every single person in town. Who wouldn't want to get away from that, just for a few hours?"

Bella nodded, understanding. She let her head fall back against the leather seat of her chair once more and looked back through her wet window, watching the rain run in a single downpour over the glass. Around about an hour later, the weather was even worse. The rain wasn't letting up and it was so bad that Officer Cheri couldn't see through the windshield.

They had just reached a long, narrow and in Bella's opinion, rather lonely looking road that seemed ominous in the night when Officer Cheri pulled over. "We're just pulling over for five; I think I missed a turn off somewhere. Bloody rain."

Bella tried not to fidget but the quiet of the car and the stillness of her movements agitated her, and made her think about how itchy her stitches were once more. "Can't you use the sat nav?" She finally asked.

Officer Cheri's head was bent as she searched through the glove box but Bella caught her shaking it, causing her long ponytail to swish hypnotically. "Stopped working 'bout a half hour ago. But… I think… There should be… Aha!" She called triumphantly and finally straightened up with a map firmly in her grasp.

"What about your phone?" Bella questioned again, wary about relying on the piece of paper.

Officer Cheri shook her head once more. "No signal." She held up her phone quickly, indicating the 'no signal' message along the front screen.

Bella finally gave up and sighed in resignation. She waited as patiently as she could while Cheri read over the map. It took some time, but Officer Cheri finally seemed to decide on a route and sat back in her chair, clicking her seat belt into place. The small noise in the silent air made Bella jump, as she had been drifting off into sleep again.

"Sorry," Cheri muttered, noticing Bella's jump. "We'll just let this car past then we'll move."

Bella followed Cheri's quick finger point in the direction of a car that was coming down the road from the corner ahead. Because they were in a small ditch, they had to allow the car rite of passage otherwise they would have caused either an accident or simply sandwiched the two cars together on the small strip of road.

Personally Bella thought the person driving the other car was going to cause an accident anyway, with the way they were speeding and in such wet conditions to boot. She was surprised Cheri hadn't pulled them over already and she said as much out loud.

Officer Cheri unclicked her belt and grabbed her hat from the passenger seat, frowning. "I think I'm going to have to. That's seriously reckless driving. Sorry Bella, bear with me."

Cheri was just about to turn on the cars lights, to indicate to the speeding car to pull over when suddenly the car zoomed past them, skidded harshly on its wheels and flipped over itself, landing with heavy impact against a tree and knocking the whole thing down. The tree fell with a crunch that turned Bella's stomach.

Bella sat in shock, her blood having run ice cold and her heart racing in disbelief. Had she really just witnessed a car crash of that magnitude? Blinking thoroughly, she finally noticed that Officer Cheri had already ran to the wreckage and left the cruiser's driver door wide open which was letting in freezing wind and heavy rain.

Bella finally got out, gently holding her sides and shut both hers and Cheri's doors, still in numb shock. She tightly wrapped her coat around herself, clinging to her throbbing sides and made her way over to Cheri with as must haste as she could muster. When she was besides the officer, she noticed that she was talking loudly into her radio but received only static in return.

"Damn it! Fuck, okay. Bella, I need your help. We can't contact anyone, so we need to get this person out by ourselves. Otherwise, they will die. Do you understand me?" Officer Cheri asked firmly.

Bella was freezing, the rain was lashing unforgivably hard on her skin and her heart was racing. She was terrified, but she nodded. Officer Cheri nodded once, giving the signal, before she slowly began to wrench open the driver side door. It didn't budge. "Shit! It's stuck. Bella, go to the cruiser trunk and get the crowbar in there."

Bella wished her body wasn't in so much agony, because despite how fast she wanted to run to save this person's life, she physically couldn't make her body go at the speed she wanted it to. After what felt like an age she finally reached the trunk, seized the crowbar and made her way back to Officer Cheri.

It took an agonizing few minutes but Cheri finally pried the door open. Bella thought she was getting somewhere but after another fruitless handful of seconds, it was clear the door wouldn't open anymore and the gap Cheri had managed to achieve so far wasn't big enough for her to fit through.

She finally decided to smash the window in and made sure all the jagged pieces were out of the door with covered hands before she climbed inside. Bella noticed with panic that smoke was emanating from both ends of the wreckage. "Hurry, Cheri!"

Wide eyed, Bella watched as Cheri managed to pull out a young man. He was covered in cuts and had deep gashes over his cheeks and arms. Bella was horrified to see that a hefty chunk of glass was buried in his stomach. "Oh my god! I think 'gonna be sick."

Officer Cheri didn't seem to hear her, or didn't care -which Bella couldn't blame her for- as she began to drag the man as far away from his car as she could manage. When they stopped, now closer to the cruiser than the wreckage, Cheri checked frantically for his pulse. She quickly stripped off her jacket and covered him with it.

"Bella, there's a first aid kit in the trunk. Quickly!"

Bella was thankful they were closer to the cruiser now, because it looked as if the young man didn't have any seconds to spare. She got to the trunk and back to Cheri with the first aid box in record time. Just as Cheri was opening it, head lights blared down upon them and a car fast approached their position in the road.

Officer Cheri kept attending to the man, so Bella stood quickly and waved her arms at the oncoming driver to signal help, despite how much it killed her to do so. The driver pressed hard on their brakes and clambered out of their car without delay. A man stepped out, with a large and unkempt beard.

They were all drenched at this point, which Bella knew wouldn't help the injured man's chances of living. "He won't make it. No matter what we do; the glass is wedged deep and the weathers terrible!" She screeched over the roaring wind. "He could have internal bleeding Cheri; he needs real help!"

Cheri growled as she put plasters over the wounds. "My radio is down, and my phone can't get a signal!"

"Try mine! It's in the car!" The man yelled.

Cheri looked at Bella as she pressed over a wound, soaking her hands with blood. Bella felt nauseated. She didn't need to be told as she pushed up, whimpering from her crouched positon and jogged to the man's car. She leaned on the car seat, nearly slipping because of the rain turning the leather slick, and snatched his phone from where it was visible on the dashboard.

Bella dialed emergency services and waited with baited breath as it beeped continuously. It finally picked up after several long seconds and Bella spoke in a rushed panic, describing the scene and that she was with an officer, hoping that would make them come faster. She paused to shout at the grizzly man, asking what road they were on and then relayed it into the phone.

The woman on the other end told her rather bluntly that they would have to hold on for a while, because the roads were too slippery, narrow and downright dangerous to race down on. No shit, she thought sarcastically. That had been what caused the accident in the first place! Bella stayed on the phone while they waited.

Ten minutes later and finally, an ambulance, police car and small fire engine turned up. Their headlights illuminated the foursome. Thanks to their combined efforts, although Bella felt like it was more down to Cheri and the grizzly man, the injured man had a more hopeful chance of living.

The man driving the police car told them to get in for a ride to their destination, and promised Cheri that he would arrange for her cruiser to be towed to her when he could. Officer Cheri was grim about it, but she accepted and left to get all she needed from the cruiser, and lock it up, before she got into the police man's car.

They said goodbye to the grizzly man before they got into Officer Dean's car, having not learnt his name through the ordeal and promptly fell asleep the moment the man started towards their destination: Juneau. Bella didn't know how much time had passed when Officer Dean woke both her and Cheri up. Cheri looked miserable, and Bella felt the same.

She was cold, hungry, soaking wet and exhausted. She was also pretty sure she was still in minor shock. The state that young man had been in was horrific. Officer Dean told them curtly that they would be entering the capital in another fifteen minutes. Bella scowled, annoyed that he had woke her, just to tell her there was more of a journey for them.

Cheri noticed this as she stretched her arms and legs, and smiled comfortingly. "Some day, huh?"

Offering her a smile back, Bella agreed, "some day."

With the car driving swiftly over a small bridge, Bella let herself zone out a little without falling asleep again. The sky was cloudy, and dark, but Bella could still see trees, and mountains. Beneath the oppressive grey, the place was a vivid green, with deep blue rivers breaking it up. "It's stunning," she whispered, more to herself than anyone in the car.

After that she watched the clock, eager to reach their destination. Exactly eight minutes later the car rounded a corner and the windshield showed a bustling town up ahead, despite the poor weather. Bella glanced briefly at the scenery but in town it was mostly store fronts. They finally came to a complete stop outside a police station.

The station was similar to most, apart from the name and the logo. Officer Dean got out and opened Bella's door for her, who shivered when stepping out into the cold and thanked him with chattering teeth. Officer Cheri passed Bella her one bag full of her belongings, taken from her house by the police. The bag consisted of mostly clothes, with some wanted possessions.

As Bella turned and prepared to enter the police station, she noticed a woman coming towards them. Bella assumed she stood at 5'5, with strawberry blonde hair that hung loose and was thrashing wildly in the cold wind. Bella was surprised at her choice of clothes for such a day: jeans, a leather jacket and from what Bella could see: a plain t-shirt.

As she got closer, Bella's interest was piqued as she spied the woman's unusual amber eyes that sparkled strangely. They were unlike anything Bella had ever seen before. The woman stopped just in front of both Bella, and Cheri.

"Tanya," Cheri greeted with a smile.

Tanya smiled back. "Cheri, long time no see."

Bella heard the hint of an accent in Tanya's speech, but she couldn't put her finger on where it might have originated from. The two women began talking, leaving Bella and Officer Dean to stand awkwardly on the side, shivering in the wind.

Tanya gasped at the story of their earlier fiasco. "That's terrible! I'm glad to hear that everyone made it out safe, and sound," she finished with a grin. Her eyes suddenly turned to Bella. "You must be Isabella?" She inquired with a raised brow.

Bella thought the question was ridiculous, because she knew that Tanya knew that she was in fact 'Isabella' as she had come with Officer Cheri, who was travelling to Alaska simply to bring her here, but she nodded all the same. There was just… something, about Tanya. Something weird about the way she carried herself, and spoke and the way she watched Bella.

"Well, would you like to get going? I'm sure you would love a nice, warm shower."

Bella nodded enthusiastically, which instantly gave her a head ache. She was still feeling pretty banged up, and she couldn't remember the last time she'd had a shower. She wondered how much better she would feel after it. "I would love that, thank you. I don't mean to be rude, but I thought I was going to be picked up by Sheriff Denali?"

Tanya chuckled, as if truly amused. "Yes, I'm her sister. Kate was called out of town on business, I'm afraid. Therefore, she won't be home until later, by which time I imagine you'll be passed out in bed." Tanya smirked.

Bella hoped that she wasn't restricted to a bed time, or an early one at that, and that Tanya was just indicating either Bella's tired self from her traumatizing journey, or Kate's late arrival.

"Well then, I suppose this is goodbye," Cheri suddenly spoke up.

Bella turned to the officer, smiling softly. "Thank you for everything," she whispered as they hugged goodbye.

Cheri squeezed her gently before releasing her. "Good luck, and be careful. We'll find Lisa," she promised.

Bella forced back tears, scared to let go of Cheri. She had become familiar, and safe. To be released to the Denali's, with no word on her sister, was terrifying Bella. Cheri turned and walked into the police station with Officer Dean, who had been silent through the whole exchange. Tanya took up Bella's bag, despite her protests.

"Shall we?" She asked instead, walking off without waiting for a reply towards the small car park.

Bella followed after Tanya, still hugging her body as it thrummed in pain. She really needed to take her meds. Tanya stopped at a large black Jeep. Bella noticed the sign to be Porsche, but she knew nothing about cars so she shrugged it off and climbed in after Tanya unlocked it. Tanya put her bag on the back seat next to Bella before clambering into the driver's seat.

Seeming to notice Bella's shivering, after buckling her seat belt, Tanya turned on the heating. The warmth began to ooze immediately through Bella's leather seat. She resisted the urge to purr and instead subtly snuggled into it. The heat was doing amazing things to her aching body, which made her anticipate her oncoming shower with greater excitement.

"Is your house far?" Bella asked, trying to find a new relationship with this stranger.

"Depends on what your perception of 'far' is. It's only really up the hill," she replied.

Bella didn't respond and instead looked out of the window, watching the view as Tanya drove the Jeep left, then right and then through a secluded area of trees. For a solid ten minutes all Bella could see out of her window was tree, after tree, after tree, until finally Tanya pulled out of the tree line, off a dirt path and onto the drive of a large house.

Tanya began to slow down, preparing to cut the engine while Bella stared in wonder. It was so big. By far one of the biggest houses Bella had, or would have, ever stayed in. The house itself was a curious mixture of brick and wood, quite modern in style and had a roof supported by three large pillars.

Bella immediately feel in love with it. Tanya came to a stop inside the garage, which was attached to the house, and cut the engine. They simultaneously undid their seat belts. Bella opened her door, grabbed her bag and slid out of the car from her high seat. Behind her, Tanya locked the car, flicked the garage door switch and then opened the door that led into the house.

"Would you prefer to see the room you will be staying in first, or the bathroom; for a shower?" Tanya asked as she opened the wooden door.

Bella peeked inside. The door opened to a hallway that was artfully decorated, complete with vases of flowers, photo frames and a large mirror. There were three different doors, leading off into different parts of the house and a large stair case. Honestly, Bella wanted to explore the whole place at once, but decided on a shower first. She informed Tanya of her decision.

Tanya closed the door behind them, and then led Bella towards a door on the left that was situated under the stairs. Bella was pleasantly surprised, as she hadn't expected it to be a bathroom. Tanya pointed out the towels and toiletries and then informed Bella of where she would be once she was cleaned up.

Bella thanked her, anxious to be under the hot water which Tanya informed her was an endless supply, and therefore she could take as long as she would like. The moment she locked the door behind her, Bella stripped as fast as she could out of her dirty, wet clothes and bandages, and then turned on the shower. She carefully stepped into the sparkling clean tub.

Time lost meaning as Bella washed herself repeatedly. She hadn't had a decent wash while in the hospital and hadn't had a bath for at least two days before the incident at her house. She used a concoction of body washes, leaving her smelling like twenty contrasting scents but decided on coconut shampoo and conditioner for her hair.

After some time, when she was wrinkly, Bella's legs began to shake. She'd been on them a lot, when she was really meant to be resting. She decided to carefully lower herself inside the tub, not wanting to get out yet. The room was so hot and humid, complete with thick steam that she had no need to plug the bath to keep warm, but the heat did lull her off to sleep.

 _"Bella? Bella! Where are you!? BELLA!" A woman screeched._

 _She was crying heavily as she raced through the darkness. Cries of terror, or pain, or a mixture of both called back from the shadows. The woman followed them, continuing to shout the girls name desperately. "Isabella!"_

 _Smoke began to billow out from the end room. The woman ran harder and finally reached the smoky room. Her heart was racing and sweat was dripping down her tear stained face. She whimpered in fear of what she would find inside. Some moments later, after entering, she exited the room with a small girl wrapped in her arms._

 _The young girl was crying hysterically, just like her mother. Beneath her cries, she was muttering, "I don't know what happened, I don't know what happened. I promise, I promise. I don't know what happened mommy!"_

 _The woman looked down upon her daughter's black face, covered with ash and smoke and beneath it: fear. "It's okay, Isabella. It was just an accident."_

 _As the mother and daughter cried into each other's arms, another pair of feet came racing towards them. The man stopped just shy of the women and his voice screeched with disgust, "is that blood!?"_

 _The woman looked closer at her daughter, her heart hammering at the dark, dirty blood all over her. "She's covered in it!"_

Bella woke with a strangled gasp and blinked fuzzily. The shower water continued to spray down upon her, soaking her face and hair further. She sat up gingerly, her body now sore from her cramped nap. She stood as quickly as she could manage and shut off the shower. She continued to proceed with caution as she got out of the bath and wrapped a towel around her.

Once at the sink, Bella swiped her hand across the fogged up glass. Her reflection looked back her and she realized that beneath the water of her shower, she was crying. She quickly wiped at her face and rummaged through the cabinets to see if the Denali's had a spare tooth brush. She found one, still in the wrapper, and lost herself in the simple task of brushing her teeth.

Once she was done with her teeth, had gotten dressed and wrapped her hair in her towel, she exited the bathroom with steam trailing behind her and shouted for Tanya. When Bella asked about putting her dirty washing somewhere, she was directed to the laundry basket that was neatly concealed in the bathroom.

While she'd done that, Tanya came down to meet her and guide her in a tour around the house she would be staying in. On the first floor alone there was a total of seven rooms: the garage, living room, dinner/dining room, kitchen, bathroom, basement and most absurd: the gym. Bella couldn't believe the luxury they lived in, to have a gym in their house.

The second floor had five rooms: three of which were bedrooms, a bathroom and a 'chill out' room where there were game consoles, sofas and a large TV with an ample selection of films and activates. The bedrooms were: Tanya's older sister: Irina's room, their parents and a guest room, which is the room Bella would be staying in.

The third, and final floor was in Bella's opinion, the best floor. It had six rooms all together: another three of these were bedrooms; Kate's, Tanya's and another guest, and there was a library, a spare room for their 'junk' as Tanya called it and a hot tub room! A hot tub! Apparently it connected to the roof outside, but Bella didn't really understand what that meant.

By the time the tour was over, Bella's head was reeling from the sheer size of the place and the luxury within it. She had seen every room except for private ones: such as their parents room, Kate's and Irina's, but Tanya had shown Bella hers and the guest ones, including the one she would be staying in. They were all beautifully decorated and lavish.

Tanya could clearly see that Bella's eyes were permanently bulged out her sockets and smirked at her as they entered the living room to sit on the couch. "So, what do you think?"

"Seriously impressive. I've never been to a place like this before, in my entire life."

Grinning, Tanya grasped her own hands together tightly. "That's always good to know. I'll show you more tomorrow; outside and where things are."

Bella nodded, glad it would be postponed until tomorrow because she didn't think she could take in anymore information right now. Tanya glanced at her watch as they lapsed into silence and then looked to Bella. "Hm. It's half nine. Bedtime. Oh, and don't forget your pain meds. Did you leave your bag in the bathroom?"

Bella tried to repress the sourness in the look she threw at Tanya. She wasn't tired after her steamy shower and tour of the house, and it was way too early to go to bed. Bella couldn't even remember the last time she'd had a bed time. She was about to voice these opinions when the door opened and a woman walked in.

Bella assumed this woman was Kate Denali and not Tanya's other sister or mother, simply from her age and sheriff's uniform. Her hair was a very pale blonde, a color Bella had never seen before on a woman and was pulled back into a neat ponytail. As well as her light blonde hair, Kate was very pale; the same coloring as Tanya, and she also shared Tanya's amber eyes.

Bella noticed that Kate looked stressed and was carrying a laptop in the crook of her arm. She closed the door behind her as she shook the dirt off her work boots, kicked them off her feet and made her way over to the opposite couch that Bella and Tanya was sitting on, all without glancing at the pair of them.

Despite Kate sitting down, Tanya stood from the couch she was sharing with Bella and walked over to her sister, bending at the waist to give her a hug which Kate half accepted, and returned. "Stressful day?"

Kate simply nodded as they released each other. Tanya turned and indicated Bella, and Kate's eyes followed her. "Bella, this is Kate and Kate, this is Bella."

Kate smiled warmly but there was an odd look in her eyes. Something Bella had seen in Tanya's eyes, but couldn't put a name to. "Bella," she greeted. "I'm sorry I couldn't be here earlier. I had hoped to get acquainted quickly, but work took me away."

Bella smiled warily, feeling awkward in these people's home, who were still very much strangers. "That's okay. I understand."

Both Bella and Kate continued to hold their smiles to each other, to the point where it was getting awkward before Tanya softly cleared her throat. "Kate, can I have word in private, please?" She directed the question to her sister but turned to Bella and said, "excuse us, Bella."

Bella had no time to reply as they left the room and gently shut the door behind them. Bella was left to sit on the couch, uncomfortable in the unfamiliar surroundings and even more so when she began to hear the two sisters arguing. She anxiously glanced around the living room, trying to find something to do, or somewhere to put herself.

Her eyes landed upon Kate's abandoned silver laptop, lying on the opposite couch where the sheriff had left it. Bella went rigid as Kate shouted something about files on her laptop to Tanya, feeling as if she had been caught doing something wrong. When she finally realized that she hadn't done anything… yet, she unclenched.

Internally she debated the pros and cons of running over to it and peeking. If Kate was protecting her, then surely there would be files on her case? There could be something about Lisa in there, or even herself, that they weren't sharing with her. Seconds ticked by as the two women argued in the next room, their voices loud but their words muffled.

It could make a sound when she opened it and alert Kate or it could have a password. Finally deciding, Bella quickly stood, winced under breath and then moved over to Kate's laptop. She gently lifted it, her whole body tense and quivering in case it made a noise. Luck seemed to be on Bella's side, because there was no noise and no password.

Bella had to hide her strangled gasp however at Kate's screen background: a completely topless woman with large breasts and erect nipples. Surely Kate should have a password with a screen like that! And wasn't this a work laptop? For some reason, wasting time, Bella stared at the image and then at her own, slightly smaller breasts.

What am I doing? She hissed to herself. She quickly scanned the desktop, trying not to look at the picture too intently and finally spied a folder that was open on the task bar. In this folder there was more folders. One had Lisa's whole name and in that folder was different dated folders.

Bella clicked on that days dated folder and found different documents. She hastily clicked them, her heart racing as she heard Tanya and Kate's arguing tapering off, meaning they would be coming back any minute now. One file told her Lisa's last known whereabouts, which were… in this very town!

Bella bit her tongue, forcing the screech of anger inside her back down her throat. No wonder they had sent her here! But why hadn't they told her this? They had promised to find Lisa, but didn't even tell Bella of her known sightings! Bella's hands shook as she scanned the address with her eyes multiple times and then hastily closed all the things she had open.

The door of the next room clicked, signaling Tanya and Kate's exit and Bella's stomach knotted. She quickly shut down everything, opened what Kate had previously had up on the screen and then closed the lid and placed the laptop in the position that Kate had left it in, or at least, the one she hoped she had left it in.

Just as the living room door had opened, Bella had reached the sofa she had been sitting on and so she whirled around, hoping the sisters thought she had just stood on their entrance. "You okay?" Tanya asked, probably noting her red and flushed face.

"Fine," Bella wheezed, out of breath from the shock of pain she had experienced in whirling to face the sisters. "In pain, mostly. I haven't taken my medication," she half lied.

"I'll go and grab your bag and some water," Tanya offered and promptly left.

Kate smiled as Tanya went down to the bathroom and then through to the kitchen. "While your here Bella, me and my family will look after you. When I'm not here, your care is down to them. Okay?"

When Bella nodded to signal she understood, Kate continued to talk. "Unfortunately, I'm working on a big case right now, and I'm very close to closing it. So when, and if, I'm not around, it's really important that you understand that they're in charge."

Bella nodded again, annoyed that Kate had said the same thing in two different ways. At that point Tanya came back in and handed Bella her bag. She allowed her some time to rummage through and get her pills before handing her a tall glass of water and then there was silence as Bella swallowed them down.

When she was done, she handed the glass back with a, "thanks," and tucked her pills back into her bag.

"Would you like to get some rest now?" Kate offered but didn't demand, like Tanya had.

Bella was surprised to find that now it was her choice, and that she had taken her pills, not to mention her heart stopping snooping earlier, she was really quite tired and even yawned as she nodded in agreement.

Tanya and Kate wished her goodnight and left her to take herself to bed, with her bag in hand, and without their aid. On the way up the stairs, Bella could only think about Lisa and where she was, if she was okay, why she was in this town, when she had gotten here and why the police hadn't told her. Why were they keeping secrets from her?

Starting tomorrow, Bella was going to find her sister and there wasn't a damn thing the Denali's, or anybody could do about it.

 **AN: So that's another chapter and now things will start to get more interesting and dark in the next few chapters.**

 **Thanks to LeighJ11 for being my bets she did a great job with this chapter.**


	5. Five

**AN: Don't own twilight.**

When Bella woke the next morning, her body soft and pliable from the wonderful, and dreamless sleep she'd experienced, it was to the smell of pancakes. Her stomach grumbled and her mouth watered, even before she had opened her eyes fully. Stretching warily, Bella sighed as her sides pulsed in dull pain, but didn't burn unbearably.

Her eyes opened properly as she sat up and swung her legs over the bed, standing and stretching once more. The worst areas for her pain were her feet, which were stitched and slightly swollen from varying cuts and bruises. She rummaged through her bag and located her pills, popping one and swallowing it dry.

Pulling a face at the chalky texture, Bella looked back to her bag and debated on whether to get dressed or not. She would have preferred to stay in her pajamas, as she was comfortable, but she still didn't feel familiar in the Denali's house, and walking about in her pajamas just seemed too personal, as if they knew each other; which they did not.

Deciding she would dress in clothes, Bella changed out of her pajamas into clean clothes but opted to walk around in socks, rather than shoes, due to the pristine carpets around the house. As she looked at her meager clothing, Bella grimaced. She needed money, and items to call her own: a hairbrush, toothbrush, and to be able to buy things she needed, when she needed.

Bella deliberated on how she would bring this up with either Tanya, or Kate as she made her way to the kitchen. When she did arrive at the kitchen, however, she was met with the site of not Tanya and Kate, but Tanya and a slightly older, dark haired woman. Bella assumed it was the Denali girl's mother, due to her slightly wrinkled face, despite her different hair coloring.

As Bella neared the women, who were chatting lightly while Tanya served the pancakes onto individual plates, she assessed the older woman critically, trying to find the similarities to the two girls she had met so far: Tanya and Kate. Despite searching as much as possible, Bella could find next to no similarity except for the woman's smile: it was the same as Tanya's.

As the older woman turned on Bella's approach, Bella could see that her eyes were as dark as her hair, further dismantling any similarities to her three pale, blonde haired daughters. "You must be Isabella," she said with a slight accent, which again, was different from Kate and Tanya's.

Bella took the woman's offered hand and shook it lightly. "Yes, although I prefer just Bella," she replied.

The woman held her smile as she released Bella's hand. "Well, Bella, I'm Carmen; the mother of the house."

Carmen lapsed into silence for a moment as she passed another plate to Tanya, who had just asked the request. Bella's eyes focused back on Tanya, finding that she was still in her pajamas: shorts and a tank top that she looked like she would burst out of any moment. Bella had to force her eyes away from all the exposed skin, her cheeks burning.

"You're more than welcome to eat," Carmen hinted. "My daughter makes beautiful pancakes."

With her cheeks still flushed, Bella mumbled a, "thanks," beneath her breath and took one of the plates already piled with pancakes from the counter. Carmen handed her a knife and fork, and after she thanked her once more, Bella began to dig in, repressing the urge to moan in delight. The pancakes were light and fluffy, coated with sugar and chocolate sauce.

"So, are you feeling up to today?" Tanya directed the question to Bella as she began putting used items in the sink.

Bella nodded hesitantly, still munching on her pancakes. She waited a moment for her mouth to clear before she answered, "uh… what are we doing?"

Tanya put the last couple of items in the sink and then glanced at the watch on her wrist, before looking back up at Bella, who had started on her second pancake already, having devoured her first one. "Well I think it would be best to show you around town, and then I was thinking we could go shopping."

Bella finished chomping on her second pancake and swallowed with a frown, the food now tasting bitter. Her cheeks flamed once more, this time from mortification. She'd wanted to bring something like this up, but now that Tanya had proposed the idea, it all made her uncomfortable, especially with Carmen in the room.

As if sensing her displeasure at the idea, Tanya interrupted Bella's inner wallowing. "You don't have to worry about money, Bella. Me and Kate actually came up with a really great idea, to resolve the problem."

Looking up from her dirty plate, Bella looked back at Tanya, who was now washing up the pile of items she had gathered earlier on while taking moments at a time to eat her own pancakes. "What idea?"

Tanya finished washing the saucepan while chewing, and immediately began to dry it with a tea towel slung over her shoulder. "Well, me and Kate were thinking about an allowance. We understand that you're not a child, and if you don't like the thought of having an allowance, you can always have a job instead."

Tanya finished drying the saucepan and put it away in its allocated cupboard before turning back to Bella. "So, what do you think? Which do you prefer?"

"I don't really know. I mean, a job? Doing what?" Bella passed her plate over as Tanya indicated to it and watched as Tanya washed her own, and then Bella's.

Carmen interrupted them before Tanya could answer. "Have you taken your medication, Bella?"

Internally, Bella wondered how Carmen knew that she had to take pain medication. Had they all had a family discussion over her? Well, of course they had. If Bella was taking in a homeless, injured, eighteen-year-old orphan, who had a missing sister and potentially a person killing all her loved ones, she'd have a serious discussion with her family too.

Outwardly, she just nodded. Tanya took up her speech again, as the silence settled. "I own a small book store in town, and you could work there. It works out for all of us really: we can keep an eye on you, you don't go mad with boredom, and you also get paid. But if you want an allowance, you'll have to do chores around the house."

"Chores?" Bella repeated. She was no stranger to chores.

"Not nice ones," Tanya replied, drying up more items.

"I think I'll take the job; I like books," Bella finally decided.

Tanya smiled and finished the last of her drying up. "Good, well I'll give Kate a call and let know while I get dressed. Will you be ready to leave in five? We can do the shopping first, if you want?"

Bella frowned, reminded once more that she didn't have money, and voiced her concerns aloud. Tanya waved her off, promising her that it was a 'one off' thing and that Bella could pay her back with her wages, if it really bothered her so much; which it did. Tanya left to her room to dress and Bella to her guest room to get her coat and shoes.

Five minutes later, they both called goodbye to Carmen and exited the house into the garage, climbing into Tanya's black Jeep. The drive towards town had started and Bella had sat in silence for around five minutes, watching the scenery, when she decided to try and make conversation again.

The three members she had met of the Denali family so far: Tanya, Kate and Carmen seemed friendly enough, and Bella thought she should make more of an effort to get to know them. "So what do you do, in your spare time? When you're not working at the book store?"

Tanya answered as she turned the wheel to round a corner. "I like to read."

Bella arched her eyebrows and then thought about how bushy they must be. She'd have to get some tweezers in town. "I thought you would be more of a party type girl. You look quite young."

Tanya laughed heartily. "Nope. And I may be the youngest, but I'm not young; I'm twenty-four."

Something Officer Cheri previously said made Bella frown. "But I thought Kate was twenty-four?"

Tanya kept her eyes on the road, but shook her head. "Kate's the middle child; she's twenty-five. We were born close together, as you can imagine and finally Irina; the oldest, is twenty-seven."

"Do you know how old I am?" Bella challenged, feeling more at ease with Tanya.

She briefly turned from watching the road and flashed Bella a grin. "Eighteen, and your birthday is September 13th."

Bella laughed, surprised that Tanya knew; perhaps it was in her files. Tanya glanced at her, and a small smile played on her lips as her amber eyes flashed. Bella was going to ask when Tanya's birthday was, but her eyes made her change topic. "Why are yours, and Kate's eyes that color? I've never seen anyone else have eyes like yours. Does Irina have them too?"

Tanya shook her head without looking at Bella and said, "another time. We're here."

Tanya drove the Jeep into a parking space and cut the engine. Bella looked up and saw they were outside a small brick clothing store. As Tanya climbed out her side, Bella did too and they simultaneously shut the car doors. They both walked in silence to the clothes shop and Bella was feeling more anxious by the second; she had no clue what to buy.

It was surprising large inside the shop, a lot bigger than it looked outside. From the looks of the clothing available, it was women only and they sold a mixture of casual, sport and business clothing for women of all shapes and sizes. Bella only grabbed the bare essentials, mindful that it was Tanya paying and stood to the side as Tanya took the purchases to the till.

As they exited the building, Tanya was scowling. "You've barely got anything," she huffed as they stepped outside.

Bella shrugged, thinking they would move on to a tour of the town now. Tanya, however, was having none of it. "Fine, we'll go to another store and you can get some more things."

Bella frowned, not wanting to seem ungrateful but uncomfortable with someone spending money on her. "I really don't want to… can we got to a drug store though? There's some things I need from there."

Tanya seemed to debate this for a moment before she grinned like the cat who had got the cream. "Okay. You go in there, and I'll go back into the clothes store and get you some more stuff. I know your size," she pronounced enthusiastically, holding up Bella's small bag of recently purchased items.

"Tanya, it's not fair," Bella protested, her cheeks pink. "I mean, on you. You work hard for your money, and I don't feel right having it spent on me."

Tanya scoffed. "Bella, my family has more money than they need," she proclaimed, which surprised Bella, but did explain their extravagant house.

"Go," she further ordered, pushing a couple of notes into Bella's hands. "I'll be next door, and I can see from the windows if you try and go anywhere," Tanya warned her.

Bella kept her face clear of emotion, wondering why she would say something like that. Just last night Bella had been determined to find her sister today with some excuse to get her outside. When Tanya had said they were going to town, she was side tracked with feeling uncomfortable about having money spent on her.

But since they had just left the clothing store, Bella had been debating on a plan on how she could slip Tanya and sneak off; go looking for Lisa at the address she had memorized from Kate's notes. Tanya seemed to take her silence for consent and left to go back into the clothes store, while Bella left for the drug store.

Once in there, she decided to push her discomfort for spending Tanya's money as she did need quite a few things. Toothbrush, hair brush, bobbles, her own shampoo and conditioner, body wash, razors, a pair of tweezers, etc. By the time she had made it to the till and was ringing up her purchases, Tanya came in with three more bags, which made Bella groan internally.

"Why have you brought so much?" Bella demanded as Tanya approached her.

Tanya tusked. "You needed it. You only own one small bag of clothes, Bella! I'll take it out of your wages, don't worry."

Bella sighed and took her bags and change, thanking the cashier. She passed the change to Tanya, who took it and put it into her purse. "So what's next?" Bella questioned.

Tanya shrugged. "Tour of the town, maybe? But then, I thought you could see the town when you start at the book store, and instead we could go home now, and hang out."

Bella's heart began pounding as she realized that her chances of finding Lisa depended on right now. She thought of something on the fly. "Oh, um, this is really embarrassing but I forgot… things… for the end of the month," she hinted, her cheeks blazing red.

Tanya smiled, somewhat sympathetically, and dug out the appropriate amount of change from her purse without comment, handing it to Bella. "Here, let me take your bags. Hurry back."

Bella smiled as she traded off her bags and made her way to the appropriate isle, trying to remain cool and collected. When she had finally lost sight of Tanya, she made haste and approached a member of staff. "Hi, do you have a toilet I could use?" She asked.

The older lady nodded, smiled and pointed Bella in the direction of the staff toilets. Bella thanked her before making her way towards her pointed out destination and prayed that there was a window big enough for her to slip out of. She quickly entered the toilet, locked the door and sighed in relief at the sight of a small window.

As the adrenaline washed over her, Bella's sore body began to pulsate and she cringed at the thought of making it cooperate to get her out of the window. A part of her didn't want to do this: it would get her in to so much trouble, the Denali's would never trust her again and she could possibly be putting Kate's job on the line for losing her.

But this was for Lisa, and if Bella needed anything in her life; it was her sister. Taking a deep, encouraging breath, she flipped the toilet lid down and stood on it, preparing to exit the window. Bella pushed it open as far it would go, thanking everything in the universe that it was big enough for her to fit through.

She carefully maneuvered her body through the gap, wary of her injuries and after agonizingly long seconds, her shoes touched down on the ground outside. Bella tucked her head under the window as she pulled her upper body through the gap and pushed away from the opening, taking a deep breath. Tanya would be looking for her any moment now.

As she moved quickly down the alley behind the toilet, Bella tried to calm her racing heart. This was a ridiculous plan, she admitted. She didn't know any parts of town, where she was going, how she was getting there and most importantly: she could be caught any moment. As she exited the alley, she came out onto the main pavement where Tanya's Jeep was.

Bella's heart stuttered and she made her way down the street as fast as she could, looking back over her shoulder at the drug store she had left Tanya in every two seconds. It wasn't too busy in town today and only a few people were around, which didn't help Bella's escape plans. Tanya would easily be able to pick her out of the crowd if she spotted her.

Bella really needed to ask somebody for directions before she got lost so she stopped a grey haired, older woman who had a kind face. The woman told her that the place she was looking for was in the woods near a tourist attraction spot and couldn't be missed. She also told Bella the best way to make it towards the woods.

Bella was apprehensive to go into any kind of woods alone again, as it was quite clear she couldn't successfully travel them without nearly dying and going insane. But she pushed the thought away, reasoning that it was day time now and it was for Lisa. She held on to this reasoning for the twenty minutes it took her to get to the tourist attraction.

Bella was down heartened to see that it was closed, as she had wanted to go inside and ask for further directions. Her heart was still hammering, aware of the time that has passed and that Tanya would now be looking for her. A thought suddenly struck Bella: Tanya might think that whoever had been hurting those around Bella, had actually gotten Bella.

That meant that she had left Tanya worried sick, thinking that Bella had been taken and hurt. Guilt tugged heavy in her gut but Bella tried to shake it away. She had no obligations to Tanya; she had obligations to her sister. Knowing the address she was looking for was somewhere in the area, Bella continued to look.

She had to hike up a small hill, staining her shoes with muck. She had no idea how long she had walked up it and her feet were in agony. Bella prayed that she had picked the right direction. Above her the clouds began to darken and rain began to trickle down, bouncing off the leaves of the trees surrounding her, and Bella's jacket.

The rain wasn't that heavy, but Bella had always loved the sun and just the small pattering was a dampener on her mood. Finally, after an age, she came out into a small clearing and within that clearing, hidden beneath moss and leaves, branches and thicket, decay and other elements of the earth, was a small wooden shack that looked about ready to cave in.

Bella stopped to stare at it for a moment, wondering why in the hell Lisa would have been seen here. It was so far from not only the Denali's, but their original house. It just didn't make sense. The longer she stood, staring, the more the cold air wormed its way under Bella's clothes, making her shiver violently.

She needed to see what she could find here, if anything, and then she needed to get back to town; to the Denali's. Bella gathered her courage and made her way towards the desolate shack, noticing for the first time that dirty police tape hung from the door, blowing in the wind. Bella's eyes widened in their sockets. Night was beginning to fall, and she was scared.

"For Lisa," she whispered to herself.

It took a lot of Bella's strength to get the shack door open, which didn't make her hopeful of finding Lisa, as it suggested that the door hadn't been opened in a very long time. The moment she did get the door open, a horrid stench enveloped her. Bella immediately covered her mouth with the collar of her coat.

It was hard to see inside, but from the last of the sun Bella could make out the blood stained walls and floors. I don't want to go in there, she thought. She was terrified, and her heart was bouncing beneath her ribs. Bella had to physically force herself through the door. As she did, the floor creaked and more blood was available to her gaze.

Bella's head began to swim and her throat convulsed in repulsion, threating her stomach with the idea of puking up the pancakes she had devoured this morning. Wanting to get out quickly, the stench unbearable, Bella frantically looked around for some sort of clue as to Lisa being there, or her whereabouts. But why would Lisa have been here, in this blood soaked shack?

It was as Bella searched attentively, did she noticed how silent everything had become around her. The rain and wind had stopped and even the sound of birds in the trees had quietened down, as if sensing something evil; something that could kill them all. Bella's gut clenched and her heart raced. She felt terrified, and she couldn't pinpoint why.

Deciding she could find nothing, Bella hastily left the shack and began to hurry to get down the hill. The shack door slammed shut behind her, despite the lack of wind and Bella screamed, sending a dozen birds into loud, startled flight. Panic set in and laughter resounded around her, overlapping the birds and Bella's screams.

She stumbled down the hill as quick as she could, the manic laughter following her with disjointed whispers of her name. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" She screeched.

Of course, in her state of panic and blurred gaze from frightened tears, Bella did what Bella does best: she tripped and went flying down the hill, rolling over and over herself. As she landed, her hand bent around her and her finger snapped right back. Bella screeched in agony and looked down in shock at her broken finger.

Heat and wetness flooded down Bella's sides. With shaking hands, she pulled back her jacket to find that her cream jumper was covered in blood. The stitches have ripped, she thought, dazed. She pressed her hand to her right side, as she was stuck on her left and blood began to flow between her fingers.

Bella was stiff, too scared to move but knew that she had too. She had to get back to Tanya and Kate, to safety. With tears pouring in quick succession, Bella took harsh gasps between her teeth as she began to walk in the direction of town. Her heart kept up its frantic beating, but the person who had laughed at her terror seemed to be nowhere in sight.

After another five minutes, she thought she was free and that her only problems would be getting back to the Denali's before she bled to death. That was until her recurring bad luck charm kicked in and heavy footfalls descended behind her. Bella spun around as fast as she could manage, pumping more blood through the fingers at her sides.

She couldn't even manage a scream at the large black shape with pale eyes behind her, covered by the darkness. It darted from the bushes, ran towards her, and knocked Bella to the ground. All she could manage was a harsh gasp that escaped from the base of her throat. The thing then pounced on top of her, and Bella finally let out a terrified scream.

The thing snapped its muzzle at her and Bella pressed her blood soaked hands into its face, trying to push it away from her. The scent and taste of her blood seemed to make the thing grow more frenzied, and excited, and it overpowered her, bending its large head and clamping down on Bella's shoulder.

The scream that came out of Bella's mouth was not natural, not human. It was a scream of pure, unadulterated fear and agony. The things teeth sunk into her skin and an intense burning ran through her veins, turning her inside her out. Her back arched of the floor, but her shoulder stayed pinned as she screamed, and burned.

 **AN: Thanks for all the reviews last chapter! this story is not all human its just taking its time :) Thanks to LeighJ11 for being the outstanding beta as usual!**


	6. Six

**AN: Don't own twilight. Still haven't named any chapters yet but hey its Christmas time!**

The fire made quick work of Bella's body. It devoured and destroyed, burned and reduced not only her skin, but her bone and nerves, to hot ash. Her bones burned and scattered in the wind, only to rebuild themselves: stronger, thicker, fiercer, all in preparation to be snapped and broken into several little pieces; to pierce through her tight skin and push back into their original place.

Bella's screams were loud and raw, renewed with every break, every smoldering fire inside her. Her gaze blurred and blackened, even as her nerves and veins ignited with sharp red color, exploding within her body and brain. All she knew was pain and it would never end, never be over. It overtook her, drowned her, destroyed her. She was nothing but fire and pain.

Her back arched, her shoulder dislocated, the mark on it turned black and gooey, bubbling over with pus and blood and dirt. Her body thrashed and she travelled the leaf strewn floor simply by convulsing. Time passed, and the sky darkened even as Bella's voice broke and cracked with the effort of screaming.

Her face pressed into the mud as she tried to gain control of her broken body, of the pain and the fire and the fear that punched at her temples. Bella managed to clamber to two feet and stand for the briefest of seconds before her leg twisted outwards, snapping the bone clean in two. "Screaming," was not a good enough word to describe the sounds that left her mouth.

Her vision swum, and darkened around the edges as her body fought the overload of sensations it was feeling. With sobs and tears, cries of anguish and raw sounds leaving her throat, Bella begged everything, and anything to kill her, to just put her out of this never ending inferno. So desperate was she to simply black out, or die, she ran face first into a tree, trying to knock herself out.

The act accomplished more pain and blood running in her tear filled eyes, but no mercy, and no escape from the agony she had become. Bella curled into a ball, fighting the tremors and snapping bones, the tearing muscles and burning veins by tightening her body into itself. Surely, any minute now, she was going to break at the seams; to die.

Even the ball didn't last long against her bodies desire to reshape and break in an endless loop. Bella couldn't fight it as it flipped her onto her back, as the flames licked along her body. There was a point where her body shut down, where she felt nothing but snapping bones and she stared lifelessly, like a broken rag doll, at the canopy of trees above her, and the darkness.

She didn't even feel like a rational being anymore, not a human capable of speech and movement, but a bundle of pain receptors, of nerves tangled in blackness that oozed through her system and changed her, little by little. She felt it, this… something that restructured her DNA, that plagued her mind and dug deep inside, burrowing into her core being. Bella passed out.

When she awoke, she screamed out of instinct, but there was no pain left to feel. It took her a moment to move, too scared to jolt all those broken bones inside her and pierce her skin, or a lung. But before long she twitched, even cried out before she felt anything and then frowned in puzzlement when nothing hurt in response.

Not even the injuries she sustained last week could be felt anymore. Not her swollen feet or sore sides, not her bruised legs. Even the skin on her hands was no longer torn and ragged, red and sore. Her nails weren't bitten and jagged, ripped right down to the wick. Bella raised her hand above her face in childlike wonder, her mind confused and jumbled.

She felt as if she was a computer, and she had received a repair and upgrade. Something felt different about her own body. She felt tired, as if she'd ran a marathon but no longer felt the pain she'd experienced before blacking out, and no longer felt the injuries that had been healing when she went shopping with Tanya.

Was that yesterday? Bella wondered to herself, seeing the bright blue sky above her. How long had she been there? How long had she been burning, and breaking, being destroyed and remade? But into what? She wondered. What was different about her? There were no outward signs, but she could feel it within herself. A presence, beneath her skin and inside her head.

It felt like something dark, and feral… a hunter, a tracker; one that was biding its time. It was waiting, but Bella didn't know what for, and didn't understand what 'it' was. She sat up, rustling the leaves around her, and gasped when she realized she was naked, her clothing completely destroyed.

She was damp with sweat and her flesh felt tight; too stretched over her bones, as if she no longer fit into her own skin. Most of her nude form was obscured by leaves, but Bella was too curious to feel her bones and see her skin after her ordeal to think about her modesty. With an impatient jerk, she threw off the leaves protecting her body from the cold air.

She let out a choked scream that caught in the base of her throat. She was covered, no. _Drenched,_ in blood. On her legs and feet, the blood seemed to be dry and flakey, peeling off her skin, but on her stomach the red liquid slid down her skin and pooled between her legs. Bella screeched and let her legs fall apart, trying to encourage the blood to slide off of her body.

She stood quickly, taking up an armful of leaves that weren't already stained with blood and used them to wipe down her scarlet limbs. They did a poor job, of course but they made her feel slightly better. It was only as she collapsed to her knees did Bella realize she was crying and the tears were cutting through the blood and grime on her chest.

Why is this always happening to me? Bella thought to herself as she cried into her own chest. Her shoulders shook as snot and tears of fear and despair dripped down her cheeks and chin, streaming down her naked body. A part of her wanted to continue to curl up in a ball and wallow in despair.

But another part; that new presence inside her, that darkness, was aware of her vulnerability and her nakedness. It wanted to snarl and hide, to work through its confusion in safety, and the simple realization that something was sharing her brain, her body, made Bella sob harder in fear. I just want a normal life. I just want to be an eighteen-year-old girl. I don't want this!

Bella didn't know how much times passed, but the sky was still blue when she finally stopped crying and focused on her surroundings. She was at the bottom of the hill she fell down yesterday, where she knew that horrible shack was smeared with blood and drenched in horrid smell. The thought of the shack made Bella nearly cry once more. She hadn't even found Lisa!

Clambering to her feet, dizzy with panic and fear, Bella took a deep breath and tried to push past her emotions, to become clinical and detached so she could formulate a plan to get back to the Denali's. But how was she going to do that, in broad daylight and completely naked? She roughly knew how to get back, but her dignity couldn't take her walking around nude.

Bella realized there was nothing she could do. As she began to walk back towards town, she cried again from sheer embarrassment and mortification. How bitterly ironic that she had been complaining about the amount of clothes brought for her by Tanya, and now she had to walk back without a scrap on her, for all to see?

Bella wrapped her arms around herself, nearly at the tourist attraction when she saw a raised lump nestled in the leaves and covered by flies that buzzed around it. Bella frowned and inched closer, only to let out a strangled cry at the sight of a heavily mutated doe, long dead. It must have been eaten and torn apart by some animal. Perhaps by the thing that had attacked Bella.

With her pulse pounding and eyes pushing out of her sockets, Bella wondered why she had reacted so strongly to the dead doe. An animal had done it, and animals killed each other the time. So why did that bother her so much? Bella turned away from the doe and carried on her journey, her back hunched to try and cover as much nudity as she could.

Despite the miraculous healing of her injuries and broken bones, her body physically ached like a pile of bricks beneath her skin. Her muscles and skin felt tender and overused. After some time travelling, Bella stopped crying and realized that she couldn't remember which way to go from the point she was at, and she wasn't in the mood to get lost.

Without any reasoning behind the act, Bella made a decision to continue on the path she was on. Mud stained her feet and she suddenly had the most gruesome idea she had ever had in her young life. She scooped up handfuls of dirty, stinking mud and covered the most intimate parts of her body with it. It didn't do much, but it made Bella feel better than just being stark naked.

When Bella stood again, she began to cry immediately after recognizing her surroundings. She had no idea how she had done it, but she was on the road that led to the Denali's secluded house! If she ducked back into the trees and did a right, she would find herself on the dirt path that led to the large, warm, and safe house.

Bella practically ran the rest of the way, so excited to get inside; to be safe, clothed, warm and lie in her soft bed. To eat food, and have a large glass of water and have a conversation with someone, perhaps cry about what she had experienced. She stopped at half way down the dirt road, not even out of breath, which surprised her, but still aching all the same.

Near the end of the path, Bella's excitement suddenly fizzed out and died as she realized how mad Tanya was going to be, and probably Kate too. She had no idea how long she had been gone; Kate could have lost her job for losing someone in protective custody, they may think her dead. They could have even found Lisa. Bella had no idea what she was walking back to.

The closer she got to the Denali's house, the more she began to sweat; cutting clean tracks through her mud covered body. What was she going to say to them? The truth? They would never believe her; there was no evidence left to prove it, and how would they react to no explanation? Beneath the mud, she was stained in blood, and naked. What could she say?

When Bella finally reached the front door, she hesitated, wondering if she should slip through the garage and straight to her room so that she could be more presentable when she spoke to the Denali's. She turned, preparing to do just that, but cursed when she found that the garage door was locked.

Bella took a deep breath and finally just rang the bell. It felt too rude to walk in; she had only stayed one night, but she felt ridiculous ringing the bell, naked and covered in mud and blood, knowing whoever opened the door was going to bear down on her with their screams of anger and disapproval.

The door flew open, as if the person who was about to answer it had been waiting behind it. When the door was wide open, it revealed Kate, whose eyes glazed with relief before they turned to anger, and then finally settled on shock. "Bella! Where have- are you naked? What happened? Are you alright? Why are you covered in mud? Is that blood on your mouth?!"

Bella didn't have enough time between Kate's hurled questions to answer. The heat from the house wrapped around her, she could smell food and strong coffee and Kate was the first person she had seen since her traumatizing time in the woods. She burst out crying. Kate suddenly hauled her in the house, slammed the door, and started screeching, "TANYA!"

Kate dragged Bella non too gently into the living room and ripped the throw from the back of the sofa off before draping it hurriedly around Bella's naked form. By the time Tanya turned up, with Carmen in tow, Bella's nudity could no longer be seen and this seemed to make her cry even worse.

Kate's face was anguished, as if she was picturing all manner of terrible things happening to Bella before she seemed to smooth it out and become serious; professional. This didn't help Bella's sobs one bit. She didn't want someone detached and clinical, she wanted someone to hold her and let her cry away her fear, and pain and trauma.

Tanya was that person, as she came to Bella's side and sat her down on the sofa, hugging her tightly to her chest as if Bella was her own daughter. "Kate, she's in shock. Get her some water, and put the fire on."

Kate did these things, returning with the tall glass and watching with patience as Bella paused long enough in her sobbing to gulp down the whole thing. When she passed the glass back to Kate, her tears had stopped for the moment, leaving her with only hiccups. Kate took the opportunity to kneel before her, and ask her questions in a smooth, calm voice.

"Can you tell us what happened, Bella? Where did you go?"

"I'm so sorry," Bella moaned, staring into Kate's wide, amber eyes. "I should never have run away like that."

"It's okay, Bella; you're safe now. But I think I need to take you to the hospital, okay?"

Bella didn't have the energy to say no. Wrapped as she was in the blanket, in the welcoming presence of the Denali's home, safe, and warm from the fire, Bella felt drowsy and slow, ready to collapse into bed and say goodbye to the world for a solid twelve hours. Before they left, Kate helped Bella into the bathroom to shower.

She sent Tanya for some fresh clothes, which turned out to be the new ones from Bella's shopping trip while Kate stayed and washed her down in the shower. In any other circumstances, Bella would have protested. But being so intimately washed and cared for by someone else made her feel amazing. She cried the whole way through.

Kate helped her into her clothes, let Bella brush her own teeth and then kindly braided her hair in a single French braid that fell between her shoulder blades. Bella suspected Kate had helped her so much because she wanted to see if there were injuries, and had noticed that Bella no longer even had her previous stitches.

When she was clean, and ready, the three Denali's: Kate, Tanya and Carmen helped and followed her into Tanya's jeep. Carmen phoned Irina once they were on the way to the hospital to let her know Bella had been found. Bella wondered where Irina was, and why she never seemed to be home, but it was a fleeting thought.

When they did arrive at the hospital, Kate stuck to her side like glue, helping Bella out of the car and holding her waist as they entered the building. Bella leaned heavily on her; not for physical support, but emotional, and because it felt so good to be held. She never hugged anyone; only Lisa, and she was starved for human contact.

Kate even held onto her as she walked to the reception desk, and got the attention of an older woman with thick, round glasses who was shuffling papers. The woman looked up and smiled kindly, though it seemed forced. Bella suspected it was due to it being a part of her job, and was a task she had to repeat every five minutes.

"Sheriff, what can I do for you?"

Kate seemed slightly winded, and Bella worried she was too heavy. She pulled away a little, but Kate simply pulled her closer. "I need to see a doctor right now; it's urgent."

The woman's eyes suddenly went wide, as if dealing with people in need of doctors wasn't her job. "I see. Please give me a moment, and I'll see what I can do for you."

Kate flashed a smile and then waited in silence as the woman picked up her desk phone and began dialing. The line obviously connected, because she had a brief conversation with whoever was on the other end of the receiver and then put the phone down with a smile for Kate. "Room F, corridor 9; Doctor Amali, is waiting for you, Sheriff."

Kate gave her thanks and moved from the desk, lugging Bella with her, towards the elevator. Tanya and Carmen trailed behind silently, but Bella didn't feel in the mood to talk. In fact, she felt really sleepy, as if she would pass out on her feet any minute. When they finally got to corridor 9, Doctor Amali was already waiting for their small group.

Briefly Bella assessed the woman, noticing her tanned skin and concerned face as she took a long, hard look at Bella's hooded eyes and slack mouth from exhaustion. She led Bella and the Denali's into her office and instructed Kate to help Bella into a seat close to the window as she shut the door.

"What can I do for you?" The doctor asked as she moved to Bella. She pulled a handheld flashlight from her chest pocket and began to shine it into Bella's eyes.

Bella scowled, forced into waking up somewhat. Tanya looked to Kate before taking it upon herself to inform the doctor of what she wanted to hear. "We don't really know… Bella… got lost. She was missing all night and half the morning, before she turned up at the house."

Kate glanced at Bella briefly before addressing Doctor Amali. "Doc, can I have a word?"

The doctor nodded and then walked back to the office door to speak privately. They seemed to believe Bella was too out of it to hear them, but she heard every word Kate said. "Bella was naked when she turned up. I know it's her choice, but I'm requesting a rape kit. She couldn't stop crying when she got in, and more so when I helped her wash… which, I'm sure you know: is common in rape victims. She was covered in mud too, and blood."

The doctor, with credit to her, didn't seem at all fazed by what Kate was saying. Bella wanted to make it abundantly clear that nothing like that had happened, but she was too scared to deny it because she would then be asked what _had_ happened and the truth just didn't make sense, nor was it believable.

"I'm going to need you all to leave the room while I talk to Bella. I'm sorry," the doctor said, addressing all the Denali women.

All three woman stood to leave, but Kate looked the most hesitant. The door closed behind them not soon after, and Doctor Amali walked back over to Bella, kneeling down to her level as she pulled on a pair of gloves she had taken from her white coat pocket. Without asking, she began to lightly touch and prod Bella, seemingly to see if it hurt Bella to do so.

Bella was beginning to enjoy the soft, cool gloves on her skin when the doctor asked, "can you take your top off, please?" Bella hesitated but finally lifted her top.

In all honesty, she was curious to see her body now that it was clean from Kate washing her. Bella knew that her body hadn't hurt like it was meant to earlier on, but she wanted to see if there was any evidence at all that there had been injuries. Were there still bruises, and cuts? Were the stitches still woven into her skin?

Twenty minutes later, after a thorough check up, but no mention of the rape kit, the doctor removed her gloves, binned them, and left the room while rubbing hand sanitizer into her palms. Bella sat in silence, leaning her head towards the slightly ajar door, where she could hear the four women discussing her, and her health.

"I didn't do the rape kit; she didn't need it. No signs of struggle, or injury. No bruises around her thighs or hips either, but if you truly insist, I can ask her."

There was silence, where Bella presumed Kate had shaken her head in response; happy with Doctor Amali's assessment. "The thing is; she's not injured at all. No fractures, breaks, scrapes, bruises or cuts of any kind."

Kate, Tanya and Carmen's voice seemed to barrel over the top of each other as they all fired statements and questions at the doctor at once:

"That's impossible; she came to us injured!"

"Stitches, cuts, and bruises all over her!"

"So it was someone else's blood?"

There was rustling and then Kate's voice: "this is a sample of the blood on her when she came in. Could you get it sampled, against a sample of Bella's blood?"

Bella's eyebrows raised in surprise. When had Kate gotten a sample from her? And why did the thought of the blood being tested make her anxious, and scared?

"Yes," came the doctors reply, and then: "no injuries, but her muscles are tense, as if she's gone through something traumatic. I can't determine what that is, with no other damage to her body."

"What about the stiches? They can't have just disappeared," Tanya spoke.

"I'm surprised to hear she had stitches. There isn't any there now, and I'm unsure how that is possible."

Someone scoffed, probably Kate. "How can there just be no stiches? And how can you not explain it? You're the doctor!"

"Kate!" Carmen hissed, seemingly mortified at Kate's rude behavior.

"You know what?" Kate hissed back, and then stormed back into the room, startling Bella.

"What happened, Bella?" She demanded at the same time Tanya ran into the room, shouting after Kate, "you can't just treat her like that! You can't force her to tell you anything, Kate!"

Kate ignored Tanya, her ambers eyes staring into Bella's. "Do you remember?"

Bella shook her head, and mumbled a halfhearted, "no," that sounded terribly fake, even to her own ears.

Kate physically seemed to calm herself down and took a breath through her nose. The group was silent after that. Doctor Amali took a blood sample from Bella, and then she was free to go. No one spoke as they discharged Bella, left the hospital and drove home in Tanya's jeep. It was well past midnight when they got home, and Bella quietly took herself to bed.

Sometime later, Bella startled awake to a silent and dark room with beads of sweat dripping from her body and soaking her bed sheets. It was unbearably hot in her room and so she clambered out of bed, her eyes still blurred with sleep and walked to the window to throw it open, and let in the cool night air.

A scream caught in Bella's throat at the sight of a large shadow, just slightly further out than the trees, it's shape so clearly big and creature like. Bella stumbled back from the window, her heart and pulse racing as she stared at the shape, watching it break away from the trees and towards her window, it's pale eyes gleaming.

It was the thing that had attacked her, Bella just knew it, and while it had initially scared it, she now saw it as an opportunity to understand what had happened to her; what that bite had done to her. Sneaking out of her room, and past the living room, where she was surprised to find Kate on the couch, fast asleep, Bella exited the front door quietly.

Bella was curious, not stupid, and so she stayed by the front door, her hand held tight onto the handle in case she had to run back into the house. She stared with brazen, and surprisingly brave insistence at the shadow, letting it be known that she wanted to know it, and understand what it had done to her, but she would not be its prey.

Despite the thing attacking her, Bella felt an attachment to it as if it was… family. Her maker, or creator, or something. Even in her mind's eye, she could see a small thread, linking the presence inside her to this thing that had changed her; remade her. The shadow disappeared into the trees, and stayed gone for a long time.

Bella debated going back into the house, wondering if the thing was somehow the very shadow that had been plaguing her life, and killing all the people she loved. Even possibly, taking Lisa. When she was about to give up, the thing returned, but now it was smaller, and more human shaped.

Bella's heart raced. She didn't know how that thing was changing from creature to human, and she didn't want to. But she knew now, for sure, that it was the person that had been haunting her life, and slaughtering the people she loved. She didn't want to meet that person, but her body locked up, too curious to finally solve the mystery of her life.

The shadow inched forward, seemingly understanding that Bella would not go to it. She held her breath, expecting anything and everything. A man, a woman, a child. A teenager, someone scarred and ugly, someone beautiful and deadly. But none of those things stepped out from the tree line. Instead, the very last person Bella expected to see stepped out, grinning.

Lisa.

 **AN: Thanks for all the support on this story I really appreciate it and I hope everyone enjoys their holidays no matter where you are!**

 **Special thanks to the wonderful LeighJ11 this story just wouldn't be the same without her she is just too awesome.**


	7. Seven

**AN: I hope everyone had a great holiday. Don't own twilight!**

Bella stared ahead of her with her eyes and mouth wide in disbelief. A riot of emotions battled for dominance inside her, until she felt like tearing herself open just to remove her heart. She wanted to be happy, to cry with relief and scoop her sister up in her arms, but that thread, that thin thread that linked the presence inside her to Lisa was still there.

Lisa began to move from the shadows of the trees, her blonde hair illuminated by the moon and her skin as pale as a pearl; beautiful and rare. Finally, Bella's emotions settled on happy and she ran forward to meet Lisa half way. The sisters fell into each other, hugging each other hard and crying tears of sheer joy.

Bella pulled back just enough to run her hands over Lisa's face, her thumbs sweeping up her tears and her finger tips feeling the corners of her mouth, which were pulled up in a large smile to match her own. It couldn't have been Lisa. It just couldn't, Bella thought to herself. Perhaps she felt a connection to her sister because her sister had been attacked by the same creature.

Lisa seemed to realize what Bella was thinking from the expression on her face and she grabbed Bella's face between her small palms and fiercely whispered, "I would never hurt you, Bella!"

Bella didn't believe that it was Lisa, but she still had to ask, or she would go insane. She hastily let go of Lisa and pulled up her pajama top, baring her smooth and uninjured sides where there used to be stitches. "There was stitches here, Lisa and then a… a creature, attacked me, and now they're gone. Did you do this to me? Were you that creature? Did you change me?"

Lisa pushed Bella's top down with anger and hurt painted over her pretty green eyes. "No! I would never, ever hurt you, Bella! You're my sister!"

"Adoptive sister," Bella corrected and winced at the flinch on Lisa's face. "I'm sorry, I just meant that you have no blood ties to me. You could have hurt me, if you wanted to."

"Well I don't, and I didn't!" Lisa hissed, clearly appalled. "And blood doesn't make you family," she insisted.

Bella nodded, ashamed of herself. Lisa was the only family she had, and she had been worried sick about her for weeks. She should be over the moon that she was alive, and relatively safe, but she couldn't just ignore what had happened to her, and clearly to Lisa too.

"What am I? And what are you? I don't want to accuse you, Lisa, but that creature you were looked an awful lot like the one that attacked me," Bella whispered, conscious of how close to the house they were.

Lisa tilted her head to the side, like a curios bird and regarded Bella for some time. Bella tried not to get wound up, but her nerves were fraught and her emotions all over the place. She was just about to lose her temper, and snap at Lisa when her sister finally spoke. "Right now, it's not safe for you to know, and this is not a safe place to talk."

Bella considered this, looking back at the Denali house before looking to her sister again. She couldn't just bring Lisa into the house and proclaim they had found each other against all odds, and especially not after Bella had turned up naked, caked in blood and mud on the doorstep just this afternoon.

She finally turned back to Lisa and let out a tense sigh. Lisa smiled and gently touched Bella's shoulder. "I want you to be safe, Bella. I need to go; get some sleep, but don't worry. We'll talk soon. Just promise me that you won't tell anyone that we've seen each other."

Bella nodded, having already internally resolved to keep this meeting a secret. "But where are you staying? When we see each other again?" She asked, her stomach churning at the thought of Lisa disappearing again.

"I've been a few places," Lisa answered elusively as she looked around her. She looked back at Bella and whispered, "I'm going to stay at an old shack in the woods. It's a mess though, and I'll need your help to clean it up."

Bella's blood ran cold. The shack covered in blood, stationed at the top of the hill where Bella had been bitten, and suffered intense agony. Why would Lisa go there? And how could Bella ever go near that place again? Just thinking about it caused her to break out in a cold sweat. But there was nowhere else, and Bella couldn't bring Lisa to the Denali's.

She finally nodded and whispered, "I'll come tomorrow night; I know where it is. It'll have to be at night time, every day, so the Denali's don't ask questions."

Lisa nodded in response and stepped forward for a quick, tight hug before she turned and ran back into the trees, disappearing. Bella felt sick with all the questions inside her, just bursting to get out. She knew for sure that Lisa hadn't attacked her, and couldn't believe she had ever thought she could.

This was the little girl that Bella held when her adoptive parents, and Lisa's real parents, screamed insults at each other, and smashed up the house around them. The little girl, even if she was the same age as Bella, who whimpered and cried into Bella's chest at the sounds of her father striking her mother across the face.

How could Bella ever believe that this girl, no matter what she had been forced to change into, could ever deliberately hurt her? How could she even think that Lisa would change her into a monster? Bella shook her head at herself as she walked back into the house, and locked the door behind her.

Lisa would never hurt Bella, ever, and she certainly wouldn't have put Bella through the kind of pain she had suffered. Even if Lisa had hurt her accidently, she would have stuck around and held Bella while she screamed and sobbed in agony. No, there was no way that it was Lisa. But then, who was it? Who would hurt her, and her sister, and change them into something… dark?

Bella crept past the living room, finding a still sleeping Kate curled up on the sofa. She stopped on the way to her room, pausing to watch the blonde girl sleep peacefully. She had never seen someone look so pretty in sleep. Bella knew that she drooled and slept with her mouth hanging open, and Lisa snored, but Kate was peaceful, and soft; beautiful.

The fire was still roaring and its glowing flames turned Kate's pale skin golden and her light blonde hair caramel. The light illuminated her blonde eyelashes and threw shadows over her cheekbones. She watched Kate with fascination, marveling at the true beauty she was. She finally shook herself and went back to bed, forcing herself to go to sleep.

Throughout the week, Bella pretended to go to sleep and then listened with keen ears until everyone had gone to bed themselves. Throughout the day she harbored the items she needed and then when it was time, she left the house with as much stealth as she could manage, and with the pilfered items from the Denali home in hand.

The first night she took cleaning agents, cloths and rags, black bags and food and blankets for Lisa to keep warm and fed. When she first saw the hut again, she nearly ran all the way back to the Denali's. Especially in the cold, terrifyingly dark early hours that she left the house. But Lisa was there and she helped Bella be brave as they cleaned the rancid shack.

It took them a few days just to make the shack inhabitable. First was the cleaning, but then they had to deal with the decay and repairs. Stealing tools from the Denali's was easier than the other items, because Bella could return them when she was done, but it was still a hard feat to carry them out of the house without making a sound, and the same to get back in.

They decided to keep the shack covered with the moss, trees and leaves that hid it so well, so that Lisa would be safe from people wondering in the woods and instead focused on making the inside cozy. The work was hard, and back breaking at times, but Bella enjoyed herself because she was finally with Lisa.

They laughed and talked, shared food and drink stolen by Bella, and worked in unison to fix up the shack. Bella tried to ask her questions: who was the creature? What did Lisa know about it? And what was the creature? Would she turn in to it? But whenever she tried, Lisa clamped up and stopped talking, which made Bella feel lonely and sad.

So after a couple of days of trying, Bella stopped bringing these topics up and instead just enjoyed being in Lisa's company. Every night it was harder than the night before to leave Lisa alone, in the cold and solitude of the woods, but her sister assured Bella that she liked it. That didn't stop Bella from trying to provide as many comforts as she could.

She brought as much food and drink as she could steal without rousing the Denali's suspicion, and also some of her own clothes that wasn't purchased by Tanya as her and Lisa were near the same size. By the sixth day of sneaking out and meeting Lisa, Bella had an air of urgency about her that couldn't be tamed.

She was worried that any day now she would be caught, or the Denali's would notice their things going missing, or even that Tanya would put her to work in town. But the Denali's seemed to be giving her some space for the time being, probably believing that was what she wanted, since she didn't speak to anyone all day.

On Saturday night, she decided to leave her guest room and join the Denali's since it was getting later, and she wanted to know why they weren't going to bed so that she could sneak out. Upon her entry into the living room, she found them laughing at something on the T.V and chatting amongst themselves with hot chocolates in hand, the fire roaring, and blankets.

There was no Kate, as she appeared to be working late, but there was Irina, for the first time since Bella had joined the Denali's, and a dark haired man who cuddled Carmen to his chest. Bella sat down and Tanya got her a hot chocolate. Eleazar introduced himself as the girl's step father and Irina informed Bella that she owned a night club, which is why she was rarely home.

Bella tried not to fidget, and be agitated as they sat in the warmth and watched the film playing on the T.V, but her eyes couldn't stop themselves from flicking to the clock and watching time pass by her. Lisa would be worried. It was nearly one am, and Bella always got to the shack by half one, at the latest.

Finally, the film finished at half one, and the Denali's around her all stretched, yawned and bid their goodnights. Bella did the same and offered to get up everyone's cups so that she could sneak out, but Irina insisted she would do it and so Bella was forced back to her guest room. More time crawled by, and Bella could still hear Irina cleaning up downstairs.

She finally couldn't take it and threw open her bedroom window, poking her head out to assess the drop. If she tried it, she would break something for certain. She looked about the guest room desperately and threw open the sliding doors of the wardrobe where she had been taking the blankets from for Lisa.

Rooting through the piles, she finally found a bunch of thin sheets and began to tie them together to make a rope like she had seen in films. As she worked, she heard Irina climbing the stairs to bed, but knew it would be too risky to try and leave through the front door without her being fast asleep.

Bella finally secured all of the sheets, knotting them twice over and then tied one end to the bed post. She took a deep breath and threw the other end of the window, and prayed that she didn't hurt herself, like she always did. She still wasn't sure of this plan as she began to climb down her make shift rope, and was startled when she reached the bottom, unharmed.

Bella looked at the rope and grimaced. She hadn't actually thought this one through. She couldn't take it down, because the front door was locked but if she kept it up, one of the Denali's might see it and know that she had snuck out. Deciding to chance it, Bella left the sheet rope hanging from her window and began to run through the woods.

When she came to the shack, she could smell something coppery and hot, but couldn't pinpoint what it was. In her haste, she tripped and fell to the floor where a sharp rock ripped through the knee of her jeans and cut away a strip of skin. Bella hissed for a second and then watched in wonder as the cut faded to a pink line, and the pain disappeared.

Marveling as she was at the clean, fresh skin on her knee, it took Bella a minute to register the sounds of harsh chomping, as if something large was biting through something especially tough. Bella looked up towards the shack and screamed at the sight of a creature literally pealing pale skin off of a bone. A human bone.

Bella's scream alerted the creature who turned with a growl and stared down at Bella, barely illuminated from the moon. Her heart sped up and her skin dampened with sweat and then her heart stuttered as the creature dissolved before her very eyes. Fur turned to skin, colors shifted to blonde, and large, hungry eyes transformed to pretty green ones.

Lisa.

She was covered in blood, obscuring most of her nude form and her hair was matted with dirt and had dark patches in it. Bella dreaded to think of what it was, even though deep inside she knew. Throughout her transformation, Lisa still held onto the bone in her hands and still had her fingers pinched around the skin to peel it off.

Bella turned and promptly threw up into the leaves behind her, her stomach convulsing and tightening in spasms. Lisa whimpered behind her and Bella heard a thud, as if she had dropped the human bone to the floor, half unraveled of its skin and muscle. Bella threw up again, her sick now nothing but the lining of her stomach, and burning on its exit from her mouth.

When she could finally clamber to her feet, and had wiped her mouth, Bella kept her eyes locked on her sisters, ignoring the dead body not two feet away from her. "Lisa, what have you done?"

"I have to eat, Bella. Did you think the food you were bringing me would keep me full?" Lisa whispered and Bella's stomach convulsed again at the smirk adorning her sisters slick, red mouth.

"That's a human!" Bella screeched, as if Lisa wouldn't have been aware of this when she was peeling the skin from the bone. "You've killed someone, Lisa!"

"Yes, I killed someone, Bella. But it wasn't my first time," she said and stuck her hands behind her back, like a child caught stealing a cookie.

Bella clapped her hand over mouth, terrified that she was going to be sick all over again. "What are you saying?" She rasped through the thin gaps of her fingers.

Bella felt like she had stepped into a nightmare. Her sister had killed someone, had torn the skin from their bones and was now proclaiming, with a smirk, that she had done it before. The most horrifying thing was not seeing Lisa in her animalistic form, but seeing her change from the girl Bella had believed her to be, to the monster now before her.

The sweet, beautiful little girl that Bella cradled and protected, who she lulled back to sleep when she was frightened, now stood before her covered in blood, with her blonde hair matted like a wild animal, and whose pretty green eyes were tinted with a lupine yellow. When Lisa opened her mouth to speak again, her canines touched her plump bottom lip.

"Let's just say: your family were delicious."

The wind sailed out of Bella's lungs and past her lips, ridding the oxygen from her body and leaving her dizzy. She collapsed to her knees, her pulse pounding and Lisa's words ringing in her ears. "Let's just say: your family were delicious." No. Oh God, no. It was Lisa. It was Lisa all along.

Lisa had killed her parents, had killed her friends and all those people that had died around her. Lisa had been the shadow that haunted her life, the eyes she saw when she was stumbling through the forest, the creature she saw from the corner of her eye, the laughter that had scared her stupid, and the creature that bit her, and changed her into someone unnatural.

Something like Lisa herself. Something with yellow eyes and sharp canines, with long claws and murderous intent. Something animalistic and wild, something that would kill deer and humans, children and adults. Something hideous and evil. No! Bella whimpered internally. She would not be like Lisa. She would not be evil!

Bella gasped as Lisa's knees fell into the leaves before Bella, rustling them and leaving her skin touching Bella's jeans. Her small hands, smelling like rotting meat and hot, coppery blood, gripped Bella's cheeks and chin, and pulled her head up to face her. Tears streamed down Bella's face, blurring her eyes and scattering Lisa's image before her.

"I had to Bella! I had to kill them all! Because this thing, this part of me… we're aggressive towards our _property._ They all hurt you, Bella! They made you sad, and so I had to kill them! We had to kill them!"

Bella jerked her chin back, sending Lisa sprawling into the leaves before she scrambled to her knees once more. "You're sick!" Bella screamed and stood quickly, still dizzy with disbelief, with the sheer horror of the situation.

Her mind spun as she processed Lisa's words, "they all hurt you, Bella! They made you sad, and so I had to kill them! We had to kill them!" And she was right. Just before they died, they had made Bella sad. The boy that bullied her, her mother who shouted at Bella for playing with her make-up, her father who took her mother's side and made Bella cry with the unfairness of it.

But they had been petty arguments! And they had made Bella cry because she was a child, and she didn't understand that boys picked on girls they liked, and women didn't like they make up to be touched, and men took their wives side when their child was naughty. They were so silly; things Bella would have forgotten the next day, but Lisa had _killed_ them for it. All of them.

Lisa dived through the leaves and grabbed hold of Bella's thighs, locking them tight in an unbreakable hold. "Submit to me, Bella! You're _mine._ I own you, and I always have! I earned that right! Submit to me, or I'll tear this town apart!"

Bella struggled in Lisa's hold but finally kept still. She immediately began to cry, terrified of her sister and feeling as if the sister she knew had died. Lisa hands began to swipe over Bella's face and Bella cried harder at the rotten smell lingering on them, and the blood that smeared on her cheeks.

"It's okay, Bella," Lisa whispered.

Bella gasped as Lisa curled around Bella, trying to find the position that Bella had held her in many times. She tried to play along, trying to formulate a plan that would get her safely away from Lisa, and back to Kate. With trembling arms, Bella hugged Lisa to her chest, dampening her clothes with the blood on Lisa's skin.

"Why do you want me to submit?" Bella whispered, her voice choked as she continued to cry. "Are you in l-love with me?" Her throat tightened at the thought.

Lisa laughed, as if this was a normal situation and Bella's heart wasn't breaking at the loss of the sister she thought she had, and loved so fiercely. "No, silly. I just want you to be my sister, be my family. Me and you, in our own pack."

Bella swallowed tightly at the word 'pack' and tried to stop her crying. "You're a wolf, aren't you?"

Lisa's blonde head nodded against Bella's throat, where she was nuzzling into her skin. "So are you."

"How?" Bella asked hoarsely, her pulse fluttering rapidly.

"My father carried the gene. That's why he was always so angry, and more so on the full moon. It was the repressed gene." Lisa paused for a moment and giggled, making Bella's heart jump at the truly joyful sound in the midst of this horrifying nightmare. "I could feel… something inside of me, trying to get out. It felt dark, and naughty. I thought killing would free it, and it did."

Bella's heart stuttered and stopped for nearly three seconds before it kick started again. "H-how old were you?" She gasped.

Lisa looked up at Bella's face and frowned, as if annoyed that Bella wasn't reveling in her tale. "Five. I killed a girl who pushed me over, and then I changed. It was terrifying, but I felt so… powerful, when it was complete. But I was lonely; I was an only child, and parents fought all the time. The full moon was due, and the hunt was heightened. I wound up at your birthday party."

Oh God. Bella's eyes squeezed shut. How did this keep getting worse? The day Derek had died. It was Lisa. Even at five years old, and worse still: she had been a human, little girl when she had done it. It seemed worse than her being in her lupine form somehow. Bella tried to think back to that day.

All she remembered was Derek hurting her and covering her face to block the blow. Warmth and goo had dripped down her and Derek hadn't made a sound. When Bella had opened her eyes, the little boy was dead and he had been hurt severely. That had been Lisa. A little five-year-old, sneaking into Bella's kitchen and killing a five-year-old boy.

Bella couldn't take it. She stood quickly, throwing Lisa out of her lap and began to run. She needed Kate. She had to tell her the truth, even if Kate had her locked up for it. She couldn't let Lisa go around killing anyone any more. "DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO DIE, BELLA!?" Lisa screeched after her.

Bella halted, her heart hammering. Would Lisa kill people if she ran? Of course she would. She had killed Bella's family, and anyone that had made Bella upset. She had killed that doe Bella had seen when she awoke from her agony, and she had killed the person whose skin she had been stripping from the bone.

Lisa continued to taunt her, "who will help you when the full moon comes Bella, if not me? Who will show you how to embrace the beast? You haven't even asked me how I can turn at will, and you can't. Who will tell you about mates, and mating rituals, if not me? You need me!"

Bella whirled around to look at Lisa, some feet away where she had dumped her from her lap. She opened her mouth to scream that she didn't want to embrace the beast when her eyes caught sight of nine lumps strewn around the shack. Nine bodies. Nine people. Dead, and stripped of their skin and muscled like animals. Because of Lisa. Nine people.

Bella choked on her own scream and cried heavily for the nine dead people, and all the people Lisa had ever killed, and all the families that had, and would, suffer for it. Lisa smirked, undeterred by Bella finding her kills. "I'll kill the Denali's too, Bella. I know you've took a fancy to that sheriff. Kate, is it?"

"Have you been watching me?" Bella gasped.

Lisa laughed. "You haven't been listening, have you? You're _mine,_ Bella. I haven't let you out of my sight."

Bella grasped her stomach, fighting the temptation to be sick once more. "What do you want from me, Lisa?"

Lisa's face crumpled before it built back into a snarl. "I want you to love me!"

"I could never love you!" Bella screamed, her throat raw. "I will never love you! You're a murderer! You killed my family!"

Lisa snarled, "I AM YOUR FAMILY!" Her jaw opened wide until it transformed into a muzzle. Her face followed the transformation, altering from her pale skin to thick fur. Her body grew larger and her muscles thicker until standing before Bella was the beast that had slaughtered the people she loved, and others with it.

Lisa prowled forward, her dark eyes glinting, but Bella refused to cower in fear. Let her kill me, she thought. Let her do it. I don't want to be in a world where my sister is the reason I don't have a family. It didn't take long for Creature-Lisa to be before her. She raised a large paw and Bella screwed her eyes shut, awaiting death. The paw connected with her face, and Bella passed out.

When Bella awoke, she was at the Denali's, in the guest room and even in clean pajamas, with clean skin, as if it had all been a nightmare. The minute her eyes opened, Bella remembered Lisa's threats and she tumbled out of bed, noticing that outside her window, it was dark, as if it was nighttime.

She raced down the stairs and looked at the clock on the wall. It was eleven on the night! Which meant it was the next day, and that hit from Lisa had kept her out cold for over twelve hours. Bella rushed into the kitchen, trying to find Kate, and found her crouched at the breakfast bar, pouring over hundreds of papers.

"Oh, Bella, you're awake. We were worried you were ill, so we let you sleep," she said as Bella burst through the doorway.

Bella was breathing hard, and preparing to spill her guts about Lisa when she noticed the dark circles under Kate's amber eyes. "What's wrong?" She demanded, her gut tightening.

Kate took a deep breath, and her eyes watered. "It's horrible, Bella," she whispered and her voice was croaky, as if she was fighting off great sobs. "There's been a mass murder… some kind of beast. Nearly a fifteen people are dead, Bella! The town is in hysterics, and they're all looking to me, and I just don't know what to do!"

Bella gasped. Lisa. "I'll tear this town apart," she had said, and that was exactly what she had done, and Bella had been out cold all day. The whole day that Lisa had been slaughtering people, and waiting for Bella to come and 'submit' to her. Bella gasped again. "I'll kill the Denali's," she'd promised.

Bella raced outside, ignoring Kate's questions following her and barreled into the woods. She didn't have to go far before she found Lisa's waiting for her with a smirk. "Clever girl," she whispered. "Now bow before me, and submit, Bella."

Bella swallowed tightly and shook her head. She needed to get Lisa to Kate, so that Kate could get some handcuffs on her. She'd have to work out what kind of metal could keep Lisa down, knowing how strong her creature could be. Bella turned and ran back towards the Denali's house, knowing Lisa would follow.

With her heart racing and her mind spinning, Bella broke through the tree line onto the Denali's property, and began to scream for Kate. Very near to the door, she went skidding on her knees and screamed in agony as a large muzzle bit down on her thigh, cutting into her skin and muscle like a hot knife through butter.

"Kate!" Bella screamed, her nails digging into the dirt beneath her as she tried to resist Lisa dragging her back to the trees. "KATE!"

Kate came clambering out of the front door, her golden hair wild and eyes frantic. In her hands, she held a gun. "KATE, NO!"

The bullet zipped through the air, whizzing past Bella's head as the shot rang out, startling birds into flight with raucous cries. Bella flung herself onto her back, her leg now released and screamed. Lisa, now in her human form, and naked, lay sprawled behind her. The yellow bled from her eyes, returning to their pretty green and the bullet was embedded into her forehead.

 **AN: A huge thank you to everyone! and a special thanks to my beta LeighJ11 she is just amazing.**


	8. Eight

**AN: I hope everyone has a great new year! as usual I don't own twilight.**

Bella scrambled across the floor, kicking up mud and leaves as she screamed and sobbed for Lisa to wake up. On her knees, she roughly yanked Lisa into her arms; her sisters body bowed and flopped as she was jolted, and her pretty green eyes stared with no direction up at Bella. There was accusation in them, and betrayal.

Bella sobbed, pressing her face into the curve between Lisa's neck and shoulder. Her tears soaked her sisters light skin. She spoke, but it was to Kate, and not Lisa, "she'll wake up! She will. It's only silver than can kill _them_ right? She'll wake up, Kate, won't she?"

Bella pulled her face away from Lisa, curling her arms over the girl's body to try and provide her some coverage. When she woke up, she wasn't going to be happy that Bella had let her lay sprawled in the dirt, and naked to boot. Bella looked at Kate, trying to formulate an explanation for the sheriff.

She somehow had to convince Kate that she wasn't crazy, and that Lisa was a werewolf, and that she was a werewolf, and that Lisa would wake up any moment because she could only die from silver. Kate stumbled out of the doorway, hastily shoving her gun into the waist band of her pajama trousers.

When Kate got to Bella's side, she fell to her knees in the dirt. Her face was a mix of emotions, and Bella's stomach tightened in fear. "Bella," she whispered gently, not looking at Bella but at the bullet embedded in Lisa's head. "That bullet… was silver. All my bullets are silver."

Bella didn't process the information; couldn't even begin to decipher how she felt inside. A part of her: a dreadful, disgusting part of her, was so _relieved_ that Lisa was gone. It felt like justice, penance even, for the awful things Lisa had done, and for the people who had been killed at her hands, including Bella's own family.

But other parts of her: the more human and compassionate part of her, _hurt_ so deeply for the loss of her sister. Now she had no one; she was completely alone. An orphan with no family, no friends, and no life. A monster and something inhuman; animalistic. Grief was tearing her apart inside and beating at her heart, trying so very hard to destroy it.

"Bella," Kate whispered.

Her hands came down to touch Bella who pulled away from her sharply, her sobs cutting off so abruptly that she startled herself. "Don't touch me," she hissed. "You _killed_ her!"

"And no one can know!" Kate hissed back.

Bella looked up at her in surprise, still cradling Lisa's limp body in her arms. "W-what are you talking about?"

"I thought I was shooting a wolf, Bella, and instead it turned out to be your sister! And don't think I don't know what she is! This is going to raise too many questions! For me, and you!"

Bella blinked with no emotion, having gone entirely numb. "You want to… cover it up?" Bella whispered.

Kate looked guilty but she nodded. "We should bury her."

Bella woke with a start from her dream, or rather: her memory of Sunday night, and immediately began to cry. Her and Kate had buried Lisa in the woods while Bella cried, and in-between sobs had explained to Kate what Lisa had done, and what she was planning to do, and therefore the reason why she was helping Kate cover up the shooting, and the body.

Kate kept explaining how sorry she was, and had even begun to cry at one point. She had said that she'd never killed anyone before, not even in her line of work, and Bella had known from that moment, that horrible, sad moment, that what had taken place that night would haunt not only Bella forever, but Kate too. It was something they shared; their horrible, twisted secret.

Ten days had passed since the incident, and for nine of them: Bella hadn't spoken a word. It was now Wednesday; the only reason Bella knew the day and date was from the amount of breakfast, lunch and dinners Kate had brought to her, and that she hadn't eaten. The rest of the Denali's thought she was sick, and she didn't confirm nor deny the statement.

Instead she had lay in bed, denied food and the endless amount of drinks brought to her by Kate, and stared aimlessly at the wall as Kate sat on the end of the bed and talked to her about mindless things that the rest of the Denali's had been up to. It was strange that none of the them had heard the gun shot, or Bella's screams, but somehow they hadn't, and Bella was grateful.

It was awful that she had burdened Kate with her life and the lies, not to mentioned her sisters dead body, but it would have been even worse if all of the Denali's were forced to keep the secret too. Although Bella was silent, she was internally scheming. There was no doubt that Kate would want her to leave the Denali's soon.

Bella didn't know how she would manage it, but she was the sheriff, and she was sure Kate would be able to pull strings. She wondered where she would go, and what she would do with her life now that she was a monster. The thought of the upcoming full moon did nothing to quell Bella's numbness.

She was too numb to be terrified during her waking hours, but she gasped herself awake from nightmares every night only just managing to repress screams. She kept wondering what Kate thought of her now that she knew what Bella was, and what she was capable of turning into. She was also driving herself mad wondering why Kate believed her so easily.

The thought of Kate seemed to make the woman appear. Bella's door clicked open and she barely lifted her head from where it was turned down on the pillow. She didn't move much, and hadn't for days, unless it was to shower or use the toilet. But last night Kate had piled blankets on top of her due to the frosty bite in the weather and so she was buried into materials.

"How are you feeling?" Kate whispered.

Bella didn't know why Kate bothered with questions, or talking for that matter, when it was pretty obvious that Bella wasn't going to open her mouth and talk back. Not to mention that even if she was talking, she wouldn't know how to answer that question. How did she feel, truthfully? There were too many emotions to pause and examine them.

She was confused first of all; this was with a multitude of things: Kate, her own feelings, Kate's motives, her silver bullets and her willingness to believe Bella. Of course she had witnessed Lisa turn from a wolf into a human, but many people would have passed that off as a trick of the mind, rather than face the truth. Bella wished she could.

Next she was hurting. Hurting so deeply. For her sister, for herself, for the families of those that Lisa had killed, and for the people that had died at Lisa's hands themselves. For the pain and fear they must have suffered to see a large wolf descend on them. Most of all she hurt for Kate, and the secret she would forever have to keep, just to keep Bella safe.

To top it all off: Bella was angry. Angry that this was her life, angry that Kate had killed her sister, angry that her sister wasn't who she believed her to be and angry for being angry at Kate when Kate had most likely saved countless people that would have died at Lisa's hands. She was angry that Lisa had turned her into a monster, and angry that she was alone.

Other emotions intermingled with these ones: loneliness, fear, and uncertainty, and coating it all: a numbing haze that overtook her, and protected her, just a short hour after waking to stop her from combusting at all the emotions fighting for dominance over each other. Kate seemed to realize that she wasn't going to speak again, and entered the room.

She held a large mug of hot chocolate in-between her palms that was steaming. She didn't place it on the nightstand as she usually did, so Bella figured that she had given up trying to get her to eat or drink. Instead she sat in her usual seat at the end of bed, barely on the mattress at all and stared at Bella while Bella stared at the wall.

"Bella, we have to talk soon… _you_ have to talk soon."

Bella shrugged, saying with the gesture, 'about what?' which Kate seemed to interpret and answered, "about everything. I need to know… that you understand what Lisa was, and what she did, and why it's okay to feel confused in your grief."

Bella scoffed, and it was the first sound to leave her mouth in a long time. Her bottom lip cracked from the sudden movement of her jaw and blood began to pool along her lip, providing the chapped skin much needed moisture. Kate didn't understand anything. Bella knew perfectly well what Lisa was, and what she had done. She had been the one to tell Kate _everything_.

Bella surprised herself by saying, "I know exactly what she was, and what she did, and what I am." Her voice was hoarse and unused, almost embarrassing as it broke and quivered.

Kate looped into silence once more before she carefully whispered, "it's a good job we cleaned the shack, because it was investigated for evidence. Since… you know… all the bodies were there."

Bella swallowed dryly, her mind going back to the morning after Lisa's death.

 **Nine days ago:**

Kate told Bella to wait in the living room while she collected a few things and whispered softly for her to try and act normal. Bella nodded tightly, her insides quivering and her head pulsating. She hadn't slept for even a minute since last night as her and Kate had only got back from burying… she stumbled over the thought. From burying Lisa, in the early hours of the morning.

Lucky for her, only Tanya seemed to be awake and so it wasn't as daunting trying to pretend that she was fine. Tanya and a black haired man were at the front door and they were kissing lazily before the man seemed to realize the time and insisted that he had to leave. Bella watched curiously from her positon, wondering who he was.

Not two seconds later Tanya closed the front door and entered the living room, humming happily and setting Bella's nerves on edge. She was sweating at the mere thought of trying to look normal and pretend that her world hadn't gone to shit just last night, and that she hadn't just buried her sister; the last person in the world she loved, in the ground an hour ago.

Tanya of course didn't know any of this and was smiling brightly as she picked up a bookmarked, hard back book from the coffee table and collapsed into her favorite armchair. She looked up after a few minutes, her eyebrows furrowed at Bella's more than likely tense expression and rigid posture.

"That's just George," she said, starting a conversation. "We've been dating for a few years now." She grinned rather dreamily. "You look better, Bella."

Bella was just thinking that she must be a really good actress if Tanya thought she looked _better_ when she felt so much _worse_ when shouting sounded from the kitchen. It seemed to be a heated discussion between Carmen and Irina. The shouting continued down the hall from the kitchen, announcing the two women's arrival before they physically arrived.

"Listen young lady: you may be old enough to do what you want, but I absolutely forbid you from bringing home a different man every night! This is my home too; I'm your mother, your sisters and step father live here, not to mention young Bella now, and it's simply disrespectful."

Watching, and feeling slightly awkward, Bella cast her eyes to a spot on the wall, praying that Kate would turn up soon. Irina seemed to grow redder and redder at Carmen's words and Bella just wanted to disappear into her chair. She really wasn't in the mood for such petty arguments and just wanted to shower away the dirt from under her nails. The dirt from her sisters grave.

"Well mother… I can't help it, can I!? Besides, I thought you liked the men I brought home? They always make you laugh and smile, don't they? Hey Bella," Irina added on the end of her reply to her mother before she sat down on the sofa beside Tanya.

Carmen simply smiled at Bella before she continued her debate with her eldest daughter, "Irina, just because the men you bring home are charismatic, does not make it okay to be bringing different one's home every night."

Irina huffed. "Kate's done it with women, and then you don't seem to be bothered."

From the corner of her eye, Bella saw not only Irina, but Carmen and Tanya look to her, as if suddenly realizing that Bella didn't know about Kate's sexual preferences. No one had told her directly, and of course they didn't know that she had snooped on Kate's laptop, but Bella was very aware that Kate liked women. Women with large, round breasts. Not women like her.

Rubbing her temples, Carmen picked up the conversation again, "regardless of gender, Irina, it's disrespectful, and I don't like it." When Irina held her silence she finished off with, "I won't bother you again. You're old enough to make your own choices, but please try and cool it on the guys. I worry."

Just when Bella felt like she was going to crack at what felt like a stupid topic to her in that moment, Kate arrived in the doorway, now dressed in jeans and a coat. "Me and Bella are going out for a while," she announced.

They were silent as they travelled to the shack. Kate's face crumpled and turned green at the sight of the dead bodies, some with missing bones and muscles. "Bella, she was bad, wasn't she? She was going to kill you, wasn't she?" Kate had whispered desperately.

Even though Bella had already explained these things, it seemed to be imperative to Kate that she knew for absolute certain that she hadn't killed a young and innocent girl. That despite murdering someone, and covering it up too, that the person she had killed had been evil, and dangerous to society, and that in the end: Kate had saved lives.

When they had cleaned up any and all evidence, and stowed it away to be destroyed later, Kate had called in the bodies. "This is Sheriff Kate Denali and I need someone here right away: I've just come across at least nine dead bodies besides the old woods." There was a pause, and then: "yes, that's correct. The area seems to be secure… yes… okay, goodbye."

Kate took a deep, shaky breath as she hung up her phone and then she continued the earlier plan decided by the two of them over Lisa's grave. "Now you go back to the house and tell them the story: we heard a noise, we investigated, found the bodies, I called it in and now I'm tied up at work."

Bella nodded, already aware of this part and turned to leave before she suddenly turned back. "What about Lisa? Will they ever find out, or figure it out? Link it to me, and my case?"

Kate shook her head softly, her features sympathetic. "The kills are too animistic for a human. This won't be investigated in connection to you but most likely with the other bodies that were found. Now go."

 **Present:**

Bella came back into herself, remembering how she had stumbled into the house and told the Denali's the story. The equal mixtures of worry and pity in their gazes, how Kate had come home late in the night, tired and wet from the rain, and had informed them all that she wouldn't have any time off over the weekend, and that the events had made Bella ill again.

Kate moved on the bed, startling Bella from her thoughts. "I'll leave you alone then," she whispered, and then left the room.

Leave her alone she had, as that had been on Wednesday and the days had dwindled on to Saturday the 12th just one day before Bella's nineteenth birthday. Kate had visited her every night after work, but she hadn't spoken a word and instead had sat in the small rocking chair near the window and stared out of it, down to the very spot where she had shot Lisa in the head.

With it being about nine o'clock, and knowing that Kate was home from work, Bella was waiting with something akin to anticipation for Kate's arrival in her room. Today had been a moving day: she had showered, washed, changed and brushed both her teeth and hair. Now she lay in bed, staring at the T.V but not watching it.

She finally heard the expected click of the bedroom door and looked at Kate who seemed to be fresh out of the shower herself and was sporting a beautiful fishtail plait that Bella had never seen her wear. Kate smiled softly and Bella forced her numb mouth to turn up at the corners too and smile back.

Kate seemed surprised at this, but she didn't comment as she took her usual positon at the end of the bed. "I have something I want to share with you," she whispered after a moments silence.

Bella stared at her curiously, picking up the T.V remote and turning the volume down slightly, but not too far in case it was about Lisa, and someone overheard them. Kate squinted a little, like she was still deliberating before she took a deep breath and settled more onto the mattress, surprising Bella as she took her feet and put them into her lap.

"Know that when I tell you this, it's still with a slight skepticism… I didn't truly believe it myself until I witnessed Li- well… you know."

Bella nodded, because she did know, and she didn't want to cry at the sound of her sister's name. Kate continued, smiling shyly. "It's a closely guarded family secret, and I'm not even sure if I'm aloud to tell you, but I trust you."

She looked to Bella to see that she understood and Bella nodded encouragingly, finding it hard to hold Kate's eyes and instead stared at her fishtail plait. "Our family originate from vampires."

Bella's eyes bugged out of her head and she was glad Kate began talking fast to fill the silence that she didn't know how to fill herself. "What I mean is: my mom's parents; my grandparents, were vampires."

Kate noticed Bella eyeing her braid and she tugged on it, her eyes scanning Bella's own wet hair. "Would you like me to do you one, while I tell you the story?"

Bella nodded, simply because she was starving for human contact, and she didn't know where to look while Kate spoke. Kate motioned for her to come closer and they arranged themselves so that Bella was on the floor between Kates legs and Kate was above her. Her long fingers pulled through Bella's brunette hair and began to tug and weave gently.

"According to the story," she continued, "my grandmother was a human when she met my grandfather, and by some miracle: they convinced my mother, who was born half vampire. My mom didn't have any vampire abilities, or need to drink… blood. The only difference about her was… is, her slow aging. For every year of her life, physically, five years go by for a human."

Bella puzzled this over and wondered if she was a sceptic like Kate. It wasn't the vampire part she was skeptical about, of course. How could she be? But a human, bearing a vampire baby? When that vampire should be frozen in time, and unable to breed a woman? Not to mention: Carmen, being a half vampire?

Kate continued with the story, seemingly unaware of Bella's internal debate as she continued to style her hair into its braid. "She possessed this gift from birth, and apparently we do too. There's no vampire tendencies in us of course, and I always thought we just aged well, but now I'm beginning to reconsider. This story is also the origin of our eye color."

Kate took a moment to pull Bella's hair tight on the side before she spoke again. "Mom wasn't with our Father very long. When Irina was born, and myself, so close together, he tried to see past our eyes as he believed they were signs of the devil. He prayed that Tanya would be different, and would take after him: blonde hair, and blue eyes. But Tanya of course had our eyes too, and when he found out the story of Mom… he left."

Bella couldn't see her, but she imagined that Kate had a sadness in her eyes that only spoke of abandonment. She quickly did the end of Bella's plait and finished with an, "all done."

Bella stood up and then sat on the bed facing Kate, wondering for a moment where she had gotten a bobble from before asking, "why are you telling me this?"

"Because supernatural does exist in this world Bella. I know you know this, but I thought… if you knew that you were living with fellow supernatural beings, even if we are only slightly, I think…" she stuttered. "Well, I told you because I thought you wouldn't feel so alone, and lost."

Bella didn't know what to say and so she looked back at the T.V and Kate seemed to copy her. Minutes passed in silence while they watched mindless programs before Bella realized that Kate had fallen asleep, curled up in what must have been an uncomfortable position. She wanted to tell Kate to go to bed, so that we would be comfortable.

But another part of her welcomed Kate's strong and silent presence so she shared her blankets and a pillow, working them around and under Kate gently so as not to wake her. Bella went back to the top of the bed and curved around Kate's form and before long fell into a dark and most surprisingly: dreamless sleep.

When she woke, she was alone in bed and found the pillow and blankets she had donated to Kate the night before was wrapped around her and under her own head. The clock told her it was four in the afternoon, which meant that most of her birthday had passed already. As she climbed out of bed she sarcastically whispered, "happy birthday to me."

As she dressed and descended the stairs she briefly wondered if anyone would remember if it was her birthday. She knew that Tanya knew her birthday, but she had most likely forgotten and Kate hadn't mentioned anything about it. They probably had no plans for her; not that she wanted to celebrate it anyway.

Bella entered the living room hesitantly, worried that someone would remember and force her to celebrate. Kate was sprawled on the sofa watching T.V when she entered, but no one else seemed to be home. "Have I been asleep all this time?" She asked by way of announcing her arrival.

Kate looked up from what seemed to be a rather comfy and lazy positon. Bella found herself wanting to curl up in Kate's little nest too and revel in the warmth and safety that Kate provided. "Oh, Bella," she said, seemingly surprised. "Yeah; how was your sleep?"

"Warm," she answered, because it had been with Kate's soft body in the bed too.

She was actually quite warm now she realized and there was a light sheen of sweat covering her body despite the cold day and her thin clothing. "Mine too," Kate answered with red cheeks.

Bella nodded, scratching her arms and feeling awkward. Sharing the same bed last night hadn't seemed too weird in the moment, but now it was pretty obvious that there was some sort of tension between her and Kate now, and a silent rule not to mention it to each other, or aloud for that matter, and especially not in front of the others.

"I'm a bit hot; I think I might actually be getting sick," Bella said softly, trying to push past the awkwardness. "Do you mind if I go for a walk? Get some fresh air?"

Kate puzzled over this while looking at Bella for a moment before nodding. "Just don't… don't go missing, okay?"

Bella scowled, thinking that Kate was hinting at the time she had disappeared from her shopping trip with Tanya and had landed herself into a terrible situation. Kate seemed to realize and was beginning to apologize, stumbling over her words, but Bella had always stormed out of the house and slammed the door behind her, with no coat on either.

Bella let her feet guide her because she wasn't really sure of a destination and her skin was so hot that she was just enjoying the breeze on it. When she did look around she didn't recognize the part of the woods she was in, which should have panicked her because she was probably lost, but she couldn't find it in her to care.

She walked aimlessly for a long time and was startled to find the sky going dark as she looked up. She began to try and make sense of her location, and a way in which to get back from it, when she heard shouting up ahead. Bella walked on silent feet, or as much as she could manage in crisp leaves, to where the shouting was located.

Peering around the thick trunk of a tree, she caught site of people: three men and… her heart stopped, her breathing quickened and her pulse raced. A large black wolf. Bella threw her hand over her mouth, pressing her fingers tight over her lips to stop the gasp trying to worm its way out. Bella had only seen Lisa in her wolf form, but this wolf was bigger than Lisa's.

The wolf seemed to be staring down the three people and growling viciously. Its muzzle was pulled back, revealing sharp white teeth and strings of spit. Just as Bella began to wonder what was going on, another wolf the same size and color bounded out of nowhere and jumped through the air. By the time it was on its paws again, it had taken one person between its jaws.

Bella's eyes widened in horror as the wolf bit the person in two and left the two pieces of what used to be a whole man on the floor. The two wolves were gearing up for another attack when several more wolves broke into their small circle and chased them off. The black wolves vanished and then the other wolves returned, and shifted into humans.

Bella tried to calm her racing heart, trying to understand what was going on, but she could only stare as a woman came crashing into the circle, screaming and crying as she fell to the floor and stared at the two pieces of the now dead man. Two more men pulled her away, trying to protect her and, Bella's gut twisted at the woman's howl of grief.

"What's this then? A spy in the bushes?" A voice whispered in Bella's ear.

She spun around in panic and of course: she tripped on her own feet, allowing the man to grab ahold of her arm and drag her to the circle she had just been spying on, and the people that were now aware of her presence. The man holding her discarded her onto the floor without care and let her fall in a crumpled heap.

"Markus," a female chastised him.

Markus grunted at the woman's displeasure of Bella's rough handling, but didn't say anything otherwise. She picked herself up off of the ground and dusted herself off. She looked up when she was done, coming face to face with a pale woman with white hair and a scar that ran just below her left eye.

Despite her scar, Bella found her cheeks burning with jealousy at the woman as she was quite beautiful. The woman smiled, looking Bella up and down. "Well? What's your name?" She asked as she circled Bella, still wearing a smile.

"Isa- er," Bella paused, not wanting to use her full name. She hated it for reasons she didn't want to examine. "Bella," she finished and then rolled her eyes, because that was her name: Isa-Bella.

"Well, Bella… can you imagine our surprise, when we get attacked, and then a wolf just happens to be sneaking around in our bushes?"

Bella's head snapped up in surprise to stare at the woman. "You know? You know what I am?"

"You're surprised," the woman observed, cocking her head. "And you're new," she summarized, almost grimacing. "Your first transformation will be tonight, won't it? Under the new moon. Oh, it's going to hurt," she said bluntly.

Bella heart rate kicked up _. Tonight?_ She had already done her research, and the full moon wasn't until September 28th which wasn't for another fifteen days. She thought she had time to adjust, to prepare herself for the pain, but now she had none left! Why was it tonight? Why under the new moon, and not the full one?

The woman seemed to notice her nervousness, and probably thought it was due to mention of, 'it's going to hurt,' which it partially was. She chuckled suddenly, startling Bella and motioned for Bella to follow her. "It's okay, Bella. We'll help you. After all: we're in a pack war, and I could use all the wolves available. Follow me."

 **AN: So yeah the next chapter is where the action really starts. Thanks for everyone's support! Big thank you to my beta LeighJ11 she has a massive influence over this story so yeah she rocks!**


	9. Nine

Bella followed behind the white haired woman, trying to keep her space as she did so as she didn't trust the stranger. How could she? The woman had made it quite clear that she intended to use Bella like some sort of solider in a supernatural war that she wanted to have no part in. Bella didn't want to be a werewolf, let alone fight in the name of them, or join a pack.

Her heart fluttered as she continued to trail behind the woman with the scarred face, her mind on Kate and what she would think, or how she would feel and react if Bella didn't turn up back at the house soon. After a few more minutes, Bella began to notice that her surroundings were subtly changing around her: thin trees to thick, leaves to mud and a small river appeared.

The whole time they walked she remained silent, not knowing what to say or do. A part of her was curios to meet other werewolves; ones who could help and support her change rather than force her to submit and devour human flesh. She almost stumbled with the cold sweat that washed over her. Bella prayed that all werewolves weren't like Lisa had been.

After what seemed an age and what Bella knew to be a fair distance from the Denali house, the woman came to a stop, and so Bella did too. She said nothing, but simply turned and smiled over her shoulder at Bella, although the scarred side of her face stayed put, and Bella wondered if whatever had happened to her had paralyzed the muscles in that side of her face.

Bella nervously smiled back, wondering for the hundredth time why the woman had brought her here and why she would be transforming on the new moon, instead of the full one. Had the myths been wrong? Did werewolves always change on a new moon? The woman spoke, interrupting Bella's inner debate.

"Once we cross the fallen tree, you will have entered our village. It's very cut off from the world, and private. It's our home, and yours too, if you would like it to be."

Bella tried not to grimace at the invitation. She wanted to go back to the Denali's, and Kate; to place where she was cared for and felt safe. She was even beginning to think of the place as 'home' and not just the Denali's any more. The woman took up walking again and once again Bella trailed behind her.

Her shoes began to sink into the mud as she pressed the soles of her feet into the earth. The downward slope they were on was making her nervous. She wasn't the most balanced person, and she didn't want to make a fool out of herself by tumbling right into the werewolf village. Within a few more steps they had reached the small village.

Bella could understand why the woman had described it as 'closed off' immediately. Thick trees were everywhere and between their gaps were thinner trees, surrounded at intervals by rocks so high that they towered over Bella. It would be a difficult place to find nestled so deeply in the woods, let alone get into.

On the outskirts of what appeared to roughly be shaped as a circle were thirteen huts made completely of wood. The moment that Bella and the white haired woman stepped into the private village, many people began to spill out of the huts and came running across the green to meet them.

"Alpha! Is there any news?" A young girl asked.

The woman glanced over the girl and then the gathering audience. "My people! There is no word yet, but there was an attack on our young warriors. Most made it out, but a few did not."

Bella's ears popped from the sudden outcry of angry people swearing and shouting; competing to be heard over each other. The woman lifted her hand and waited until the crowd fell silent before she addressed them once more, "I understand your anger, and your frustration. However, you can rest assured that I will not give up, and we will win this war!"

Shouts of elation broke over the group again before they drifted back into silence to hear the rest of the speech. "In the meantime: I want full cover. Lookouts in the trees and a new patrol schedule set out for a three-mile radius."

Without waiting for a dismal, the group of people dispersed and ran off to complete the tasks set to them. None of them moaned about what seemed to be a change in their usual way of patrolling, and no one demanded further details or action. They were obedient and respectful, which told Bella that this woman could possibly be trusted.

Bella turned to face the woman as she tapped Bella on the shoulder. "Follow me child, there's much to discuss."

Bella followed once again, wondering what the time was, panicking over the oncoming change and also worrying about Kate and how she would react to Bella not coming home. The woman led Bella to a larger hut than the rest. The front of it was made of wood like the others but seemed to be a cover entrance to a cave.

Once inside, Bella could see that her assumptions had been right and that with the front hut attached to the surrounding rock, the inside was rather spacious. Bella was further led into a crudely furnished dining room which consisted of what appeared to be a hand crafted table and matching chairs.

She was directed to sit on a chair while the woman sat in a high backed one at the head of the table. As soon as they were seated, the woman began to talk immediately. "Well there's a lot to discuss, but I'll keep it short. I know you're eager to leave… As I'm sure you realize: these people rely on me. The rely on me to get us through this ever continuing war."

"Look," Bella said as silence fell. "I don't mean to be rude, but I have no interest in your pack, or your war. I want to go home, I want to get through this horrendous change, and I want this nightmare to be done with for the month."

"It's your first change tonight Bella; we could help you," the woman insisted. When Bella didn't reply, she added, "come back tonight, before nine, and we'll help you. I'll make sure my guards know that you're not a trespasser."

"Um, thanks?" Bella trailed as she stood, wondering if she should say more. She finally said, "it's not that I don't want to help. I'm just confused, and… I've received some shocks when it comes to being a wolf."

The woman nodded, and Bella thought that a lot of new wolves must have been changed by being bitten. "I understand, Bella. I really do."

"Am I free to go?"

The woman nodded, and looked rather glum about it. Perhaps she had hoped to persuade Bella to join her cause, and add her to her 'people' and pack. Bella went to leave but her heart felt heavy with guilt. All these people were once in her own position, more than likely, and this woman had been their beacon of hope.

Finally, Bella turned back to the woman and sighed. "Just tell me what you wanted to tell me."

The woman smiled although she had the decency to make it look like it wasn't smug. "The pack was once very, very large with scores of people from different backgrounds and blood lines. But they were ruled by a cruel and spiteful man. He treated them like slaves, and raised them like soldiers: pigs destined for slaughter."

"One day a young man stepped up to him and challenged the Alpha's authority. With this challenge, the war began. With a large portion of the pack following the young man's example, the previous Alpha was driven from the pack, taking his few followers with him. Since that day there has been an ongoing fight between the two packs. Sons, brothers, sisters, daughters and the like have continued the fight to honor their ancestors."

Bella frowned. "I understand that, but what am I meant to do? Just fight? What does that accomplish?"

The woman shrugged and simply answered, "come back at nine, and you will see."

Bella left the village with haste after that. She understood the history of the packs, but what did fighting accomplish between them? The stronger pack? When would they call it quits, and how? What was the point of Bella joining that, when there seemed to be no end goal? Bella tried to shake herself out of all the questions, and instead prepare herself for her first change.

When she arrived back home, Kate was still on the couch watching mindless T.V and wrapped in her lazy cocoon, but there now seemed to be a few cups and bowls on the coffee table as if she had been snacking. When Kate noticed her standing in the doorway she smiled softly, as if worried they were still fighting.

"Well, I'm home," Bella said, breaking the awkward tension.

"I'm glad you're safe," Kate replied, her eyes flickering over Bella's face.

Bella bit her lip, debating whether to tell Kate the truth and then decided that she didn't want to keep any more secrets. "Tonight… is my first night as a… well, I'll be leaving at nine."

Kate frowned at first, not seeming to understand before her eyes opened wide and she sat up on the couch. "I should come wit-"

"No!" Bella interrupted. Kate's face flashed with hurt and Bella hastened to explain herself, "I could be… dangerous, and I've met some people… who can help."

Kate's eyebrow shot up. "There's more? Bella you have to tell me where they are, they might be dangerous! Like Li-"

"Don't."

Kate sighed and Bella talked over whatever she was going to say next. "They're not dangerous. They're a small group, and a lot of them look like they've been doing this for years. The place they stay in looks well developed, so they've clearly been right here for years as they've changed too. They're not a threat."

Kate breathed heavily through her nose and lay back down on the sofa. "I'll wait up for you," she whispered softly.

Bella turned away from her, cheeks hot and heart racing at Kate's sprawled position, exposed skin and mussed hair. "It's okay," she began as she started to leave the living room. "I'll be fine."

Once in her room she packed a small bag. She didn't know what to expect, or how this was going to work, but she expected that her clothes would need replacing or to be put up somewhere and last time she had woken up covered in blood. She'd need some wipes or a cloth of some sort to clean up with before re-dressing.

After her bag was packed, Bella sat on her bed and stared at the time. She felt sick with apprehension and was surprised when she woke up some time later after falling asleep. It was dark outside her window and she shot up in bed. How could she have fell asleep!? She could change at any moment, right in the house!

With her heart racing, Bella grabbed her bag and chanced a quick look at the clock on the wall. It read: 8:20 PM. Bella cursed before she put on her shoes, threw open her door, raced down the stairs and out the front door without saying goodbye to Kate. She didn't even know where the rest of the Denali's were and if she had left them with questions about her hasty exit.

Bella managed to get about half way to the village from her memory but in the pitch black and with many obstacles, she was soon lost. Her pulse hadn't seemed to have calmed since she had woken up but now it jumped higher once more. She didn't want to change here, in the middle of the woods.

Last time she hadn't remembered her change, and she still couldn't. Bella assumed it would be like that every time and if she couldn't remember anything, then she certainly wasn't in control of her wolf form. That meant that she could do anything, kill anybody without ever knowing it. She needed to get to the village so that they could show her what to do.

Since Bella could see no paths or determine any sense of direction, she was simply walking on and on, probably getting even more lost in the process. Walking began to agitate her, as if she was wasting time, and so she began to run. The darkness was breaking up as she did so and the moon was pushing through the clouds.

Technically, Bella should have been happier that she had some lighting now but the site of the moon made her heart stop and start dangerously. It was here. It was coming for her, ready to force her into a beast. With panic choking her throat and tears beginning to form, Bella ran out of the shadows and into the moonlight.

It was the worst thing to do. The moment the moonlight touched her skin, Bella's body reacted. Her muscles locked up in intense pain, preventing any screaming and left her to crash to the floor. Her bag dropped and landed in a shadow, but it didn't make any difference anyway, because she was paralyzed with pain.

She couldn't strip to prevent damaged clothes, couldn't cry or scream, couldn't curl into a ball with agony. Instead all she could do was lie face first in the mud, ramrod straight and _feel_. The agony she felt now was nothing like it had been before. Not even an eighth of what she had previously experienced. That, or her memory hadn't given the agony any justice.

As the paralysis held onto her body, Bella's bones began to break. It started with her legs. She was almost grateful she couldn't see as she felt the bone twist at the knee, leaving her foot pointed towards the sky. The bone stayed in that angle as it repeated on the other leg and both her knees dislocated.

The pain was horrendous and made worse by the fact that Bella knew what was coming, that she knew that she wouldn't pass out for a long while, and that she was so terrified to be alone and uncontained. The pain stopped for milliseconds as an intense burning swept over her, starting at her scalp and washing down to her toes.

The flames worked inside and out of her, burning away her internal organs, muscles, nerves and blood vessels. Her skin dissolved under its assault, stripping the flesh from her bones and then Bella's arms began to break. The elbows twisted out, leaving her arms pulled back towards the sky like her feet.

Her hands snapped back at the wrists and then her fingers bent and reshaped, her nails grew and rounded into claws, tearing at flesh and leaving it bleeding. Inside her own head, Bella heard nothing but her own raw screams. Outside it was almost peaceful but for the sounds of breaking bones, like twigs being stepped on.

From her claws growing, Bella mentally tried to focus herself by clinically assessing the changes to her body. Her shoulders had been pulled back, her spine had just broken and rearranged itself, her stomach had concaved, her thighs have grown, her toe nails had shaped into claws. All the while she could feel that presence growing more excited.

In her mind's eye Bella pictured a hungry wolf watching a doe eating peacefully. She could see the wolf assessing the distance, the speed of its own run, calculating the speed of the doe and feel its mouth growing slick with saliva at the thought of biting into the flesh of the beautiful animal. It waited and watched. Patient. Then it stepped forward, the doe looked up. It pounced.

Bella opened her eyes suddenly as she realized the pain had stopped and that she could no longer feel her own body at all. Nothing felt familiar, or recognizable. Her eyes were sharper and brought colors to life. Scents were stronger and easily identified without her having to consciously do so. Sounds were closer, although she knew they were some distance away.

When Bella tried to stand, on what she thought to be two feet, she instead felt a large weight raise with her. It took her a moment to realize _she_ was that large weight. Her paws dug into the earth and it invoked a feeling she couldn't quite describe. It felt like it did when her toes pressed into the bare earth but as if her foot was rounded, and she couldn't feel the cold of the mud.

It took Bella quite a few minutes to determine what to do with herself. She hadn't expected to be aware in her wolf form, and now that she was, she was apprehensive of her new body. What if she had murderous cravings, like Lisa had? And while her body would want it, her brain wouldn't, and Bella didn't think she could survive that kind of trauma.

On the other hand: if she was lucky and didn't have any desire to eat flesh, or hurt anybody, or god forbid: kill, then what was she meant to do with herself? Did she stay in wolf form until the sun came up? Or was it just a set few hours? What was her point? Her motivation? And she still didn't know why she had changed on a new moon, and not the full one.

Bella finally plucked up the courage to start walking and felt her hind legs trembling. It truly was one of the weirdest feelings she had experienced to be a wolf. At first she started with a stumble, then a slow walk, then a light trot and before long she was running. It hadn't taken her long at all to get used to her new body, and she felt right in it.

Running in wolf form was the most exhilarating experience. She had never run so fast in her life and the power that thrust her legs forward was intoxicating. Bella ran laps around the space she had changed in before running off in different directions, experiencing the rush of wind, the new scents she could pick up and the vitality of the night surrounding her.

After having her few minutes of fun, Bella came to a stop and debated on what she would do now. Should she try and find the village with her new nose, eyes and ears? But she didn't really need their help now. The worst was over, and she felt fine. She felt better than fine actually: she felt like a whole new person. Stronger, fitter and improved.

Perhaps she could grab her bag between her teeth and make her way home to Kate? Signal her in some way to look at Bella in her wolf body. The thought made Bella whine low. It wasn't a sad sound, but a needy one. The thought of Kate seeing her like this made her feel… naked, and excited. Something magical, and something that would alter their relationship.

Bella had just decided to do this and was scouting for her bag when a deliciously tempting musky scent pierced the air, calling to Bella's senses and speeding up her heart. She lifted her large head, aware of the weight of it on her shoulders but not hindered by it. It took next to no time to pinpoint the source of the scent.

Werewolves. Racing towards her. Before Bella could think of a plan of action they were on either side of her, blocking her in and cutting off her escape route. Bella's ears flattened on her head without her deciding to do so, and she puzzled over the movement. She wasn't scared so much as she was intimidated. They were bigger than her and wiser in their wolf bodies.

They both pulled back their muzzles, revealing wicked sharp teeth that were pointed perfectly for tearing into skin, and snarled their displeasure at Bella. She growled back and feinted running to one side, where both wolves turned to anticipate her, and then took the chance to run the opposite way.

Not five minutes previous Bella had felt fast and strong in her wolf skin, working her new muscles and the power inside her. Now she felt sluggish and slow, just begging to be taken down with her lack of speed compared to the two wolves who were already gaining on her. They both appeared at her side and the one on the right rammed into Bella.

This knocked her into the wolf on the left who locked its muscles as Bella fell towards it in order to stay on its feet. The hard wall of muscle caused Bella to slide down the other wolfs fur. She tried to bend her knees to keep her on her own paws but instead her new legs buckled and she crashed heavily to the floor.

Rolling onto her large back, Bella planned to attack by releasing her claws and baring her teeth, but the position left her stomach exposed and a deep instinct inside her told her this wasn't okay, and it would get her killed. She was vulnerable. Bella continued to roll until she was on her paws again, knocking over the wolf on her right as she did so.

This distracted the wolf on her left and Bella prepared to run once more. She never had the chance as another wolf, seemingly out of nowhere, came crashing into the space Bella and the two wolves were in. It did nothing but snarl at Bella's attackers before leaving once more. The two wolves followed the mysterious wolf, leaving Bella perplexed.

Bella didn't have time to debate running again before two humans stepped out from where they had disappeared. She would have run, had she not been curious as to what they were going to say to her after so blatantly trying to attack her. Already on guard for any sneak attacks, Bella snarled at them.

The one man snorted, not intimidated and asked, "what are you doing on our land, rouge?"

Rouge? Bella thought. Was that because she wasn't part of a pack? And if so, how did they know that? Unable to reply with her wolf muzzle, and unable to shift back into her human form, Bella simple stared at them. The second man rolled his eyes and folded his arms over his bare chest.

"If you project your thoughts, then I will hear them. I only hear your thoughts if you want me to."

Bella debated over this and felt stupid as she projected the thoughts: I didn't know I was on somebody's land. It's my first time as a wolf; my first change.

The man nodded before looking to the one wolf in the group. With two men in human form and one in wolf that was the same color as the other two, Bella couldn't determine who had attacked her, and who had stopped the attack, so she just 'glared' as best as she could at all three of them.

"Regardless," the man finally said. "This is marked territory, and you would have smelt that. You should have stayed away, rouge. Because of your trespassing, you will not be leaving this place."

Bella was just opening her muzzle to snarl her protest when the trees ahead rustled and yet another man stepped through them. "It's the Autheri's. They're here."

The mention of the 'Autheri's' whoever they were, seemed to piss off every male around Bella. It pissed them off so much that they seemed to forget about her completely and dashed away to deal with them. If Bella focused, she could make out the sounds of fighting in the distance. She wondered if the 'Autheri's' were the pack she had met earlier in the day.

Her new sensitive ears picked up snarls and roars. Bella wondered what to do. To go and help, or go home to the Denali's? That was what she wanted to do, but she had resolved to be a good person when she found out she would be a wolf, and walking away from people getting hurt didn't seem like something a good person would do.

Besides, Bella reasoned as she followed the sounds, perhaps all they need is a third party to step in and help them end this ridiculous feud. When Bella made it to the 'fight' she found a very high volume of wolves attacking each other. With ever wolf biting and clawing, and many of them the same color and size, Bella couldn't determine who was from which pack.

As Bella watched for a few more seconds, an almost numbing haze seemed to glide over her muscles and mind. She felt truly animalistic, like the wolf had taken over her body and she was doing nothing but watch from the side lines. She felt an overwhelming sense of protection, and her wolf seemed to have determined who she was protecting.

Without any conscious decision to do so, Bella was racing over to a small light grey wolf that was fighting with a fairly larger brown wolf. She jumped and it took her quite high, a lot higher than she had ever jumped as a human. In mid-jump, her claws retracted and her paw positioned itself in the exact place to rip into fur on the come down.

As Bella landed the claws connected with the wolfs face leaving vicious red marks in their wake. Bella's muzzle bit into the space between the animal's neck and shoulder, her head moving rapidly in order to tear the skin and muscle, and force blood out of the wound at a ferocious pace.

Watching from the inside, Bella didn't even feel disgusted with the wolfs actions. As if her and her new wolf were melding together, putting two separate instincts, personalities, thoughts and feelings into a new being; a beautiful hybrid of power and strength. Bella wondered what she looked like in this new form.

Were her eyes lupine yellow? What color was her fur? Did it stain with the blood of the wolf she had just thrown to the floor with a severe injury? So many smells assaulted Bella's nose that her head pulsated with the effort to identify them. Blood, adrenaline, mud, water, tree resin and fear.

Such a strong scent of fear drifted around her and Bella pinpointed the elusive smell to the grey wolf she had just saved. She could tell it was young, and it stroked an anger and protectiveness inside her that she'd never had as a human. A cub; a pack mate; a child, fighting and being put in danger. It pissed her off.

Bella growled and searched for the next wolf to help. Her eyes found a wolf battling with a snow white wolf, although its fur was stained with brown and red. The white wolf seemed to be winning, until a black wolf interrupted the fight. Bella recognized the wolf as the one who had hunted and trapped her earlier, as if she wasn't a fellow wolf and didn't demand respect.

The black wolf was descending on the white one until Bella ran into it, knocking it off the white wolf and sending it skidding along the floor where it kicked up mud and grass. The wolf was skilled, and agile however and so it was on its feet only moments after being on the floor. Its eyes were orange, something Bella hadn't noticed earlier on.

The wolf charged her and she did the same. Bella swung out her paw as the action had worked so well earlier on, but it didn't connect as she hoped and left her vulnerable to attack. The black wolf seized the opportunity and sunk its teeth into her. Pain flared like fire from the bite and Bella pushed past it to swing her body and shake the beast.

The move was proving futile because the wolfs hold was tight and Bella whined as she realized blood was oozing rapidly from the wound. Another wolf came crashing into the black one just as Bella thought that all hope was gone, surprising Bella's attacker enough to leave room for her to break free of its previously unbreakable jaw lock.

The wolf who had interrupted the fight and saved Bella looked to her quickly with beetle black eyes before launching itself at the black wolf once more. Bella watched the ensuring battle of teeth and claws with amazement, still too shaken up by nearly losing the fight to join in again straight away.

It took Bella a moment to realize what an important opportunity she was passing up on before she joined back into the action, releasing her claws once more to sink them into the wolfs body that had attacked her. The wolf howled to the sky and thrashed, which did nothing but help Bella tear at its muscle and fur.

Her claws were so deep she could feel bone at the tips of them. Bella shook the wolf off, retracting her claws viciously and was distracted immediately by the large roar that came from her left. When Bella looked around there was only a man standing there now, and Bella recognized it to be Markus.

With a glance around her, Bella noticed that the seven remaining wolves had all reverted back to their human bodies and had to angle their head up to look at her. Bella whined in surprise as small fingers tapped her furry shoulder and then the fingers ran through her thick fur, tickling the muscle beneath.

When Bella angled her head down, she noticed that it was the pale woman from earlier today and she was smiling. "You did very well, Bella. On behalf of my village: I thank you. But you should feed now, before you turn back. Your wolf needs it. Just don't think with your human brain, and come back tomorrow."

Bella's heart was racing with adrenaline, but she realized that she was hungry and it wasn't a hunger she had felt in her human body. It worried her momentarily because she didn't want to kill anything, let alone humans, but it seemed that once again her wolf took the reins and Bella was nothing but a third party viewer.

It didn't take long to hunt down a deer with her new scenes. Bella was surprised once more to not feel disgusted by the act of eating it. She never felt disgusted as a human eating goat, cow, lamb or chicken did she? So why should she feel wrong for eating an animal as a wolf? It was the way of life and it didn't bother her.

Once she had eaten the animal down to the bone, Bella realized she was still hungry and began the next hunt for more deer. She didn't have time to find the next one however, because the moon was beginning to leave the sky and the sun was making its approach. As dawn made its appearance, Bella's wolf began to change.

It was as painful changing from a wolf to a human as it had been changing from a human to a wolf. Her bones had to rearrange themselves once more to fit her human skin and her internal organs had to adapt to their new body. Bella roared through this transformation, not paralyzed as she had been in her previous change.

Quite a few trees were left with claws marked deep into the bark and a lot of animals were frightened away from their eating or sleeping spots. During the change Bella managed to stumble through the woods, bit by tiny bit, until she was fully human once more. By some miracle she found her stowed away bag, redressed and stumbled home.

Bella managed to get home with drooping eyes and sore muscles. The door was open when she got home which she thought must have been Kate's doing but Kate was passed out on the couch when she looked into the living room. It was really early and no one seemed to be up which Bella was grateful for.

The closer she got to her room, the heavier her eyes felt and by the time she reached her bed and had flopped down on it, she was asleep. She awoke inside the covers and to a knock on her door. When Bella forced her eyes open, Kate was softly shutting the door. "How do you feel?" She whispered.

"Sore, but okay," Bella croaked.

Kate smiled. "I'm glad you're okay, Bella." She was silent for a moment before she said, "I'm sorry to wake you up, but I couldn't think of any excuse for the rest of the family. They want you to come down stairs."

Bella yawned, but nodded. "Okay. Let me shower and change first."

Kate nodded and then left. Bella did as she had said. She showered, brushed her teeth, dressed and braided her wet hair. It was therefore around twenty minutes later when she finally entered the living room and felt her eyes pop in surprise. All the Denali's were waiting for her and they were all wearing ridiculous birthday hats.

Bella groaned outwardly, but inside she felt an elation like no other. She felt cared for, and… loved. They wanted to celebrate her birthday and that could only mean they cared. Like family. The minute they saw her they began to clap and sing 'happy birthday to you' and Bella's cheeks were hot and red by the time they had finished.

Bella grinned as she was completely unable to suppress it. "My birthday was yesterday, so you missed it. Maybe next year?"

"No!" They spoke in unison, laughing at their dramatic reply and stepping forward to pull Bella into the living room.

Carmen seemed especially adamant with her hands on her hips and a playful scowl. "Now Bella, that's not fair. We didn't realize it was your birthday, and now that we do we have to celebrate it!"

Bella was going to argue although she was smiling when a loud knock on the door interrupted them. Kate went to answer it, and when she came back her face was white with apprehension. Bella's stomach took a dive bomb and her blood ran cold. Had they found Lisa's body? Did they know it was Kate? Was Bella going to lose the family she had just started to love?

Two police officers stepped in with Kate, and everyone stopped talking to find out what was going on. Bella's heart kick started wildly, her throat closing up with terror. "Sorry to interrupt you all. I've got some wonderful news!"

Bella frowned, now thoroughly confused. She looked to Kate's tight face again and wondered what could possibly be wonderful if Kate looked so utterly terrified. The two officers stepped to the side, revealing the person standing between them. Bella's heart stopped. Everything stopped.

"Bella, we've found your sister."

"Lisa," Bella breathed.

 **AN: Bam bet you did not see that one coming? anyway all questions will be answered in the next one! Massive thanks to the very talented and incredible beta LeighJ11**


	10. Ten

**AN: I don't own twilight!**

Bella stared with a racing heart at the smirking blonde as she stepped out from between the police officers. Surely this couldn't be real! She had buried Lisa, side by side with Kate. She had mourned and sobbed, hated and grieved for the girl before her, and she wasn't even dead? How was this possible? How had she survived the bullet? How had she gotten out the grave?

Lisa wasted no time in playing the part: running forward as if swept up in a haze of joy and hugging Bella tightly, as if Bella hadn't played a part in her death, or helped Kate to hide her in the ground. Bella hugged her back at the police officer's encouragement as they misunderstood her hesitation.

What game was Lisa playing? Aside from the fact that she was meant to be dead, Bella didn't understand what she was seeing. Lisa was pretending like everything was peachy, and that the police had found her, and reconnected her with Bella: her missing sister. Why? Because she couldn't tell the truth without raising questions she couldn't answer?

Bella's eyes flashed to Kate's face once more, silently seeking much needed help and guidance, but Kate seemed to still be in shock, and was still ash white from tension. Lisa pulled away from Bella, bringing her attention back to her psychotic sister, and Bella had to hide her disgust at Lisa's blatant act as she wiped her now 'wet' eyes.

"Oh, Bella! I'm so glad that you're alright! I've been so worried about you!" She then promptly burst out crying again, and fell into Bella's arms.

Bella caught her once more with an, "oomph" of surprise and tried not to look too flabbergasted when a police officer sniffled at the 'reunion' of the two sisters. Tanya stepped forward suddenly, neither smiling nor frowning, as if she couldn't analyze the situation. She lay her hand on Bella's forearm and whispered, "we'll give you two a moment."

When the room had cleared out, taking Kate with it, and kicking up Bella's anxiety, Bella shoved Lisa off of her and stepped back, now letting the confusion wash over her face. Lisa stumbled but righted herself instantly, a smirk already gracing her lips as she straightened her clothing. "What's the matter, Bella? Not happy to see me?"

Bella snarled, much like she had as a wolf, and worried momentarily that her inner wolf was trying to take over her human body, as it had taken over her wolf body last night. "What the hell is going on? How are you alive?" She hissed.

Lisa curled her fingers towards her wrist and glanced at her nails as if she had all the time in the world. They were painted, and clean; not chipped and dirty as they had been when Bella had caught her peeling skin from the bone, or when she had been burying Lisa with Kate. Where had she cleaned up? How had she gotten out of that grave? How the hell was she alive?

Lisa finally looked up from inspecting her nails and stuffed her hand in her pocket. She wriggled around in it for a moment before pulling out a silver bullet coated with dried blood. "Do you like your birthday gift?" She whispered low and rough, avoiding Bella's questions.

Bella bit back a gasp, but it was clear Lisa knew she had gotten to her. She held the smirk on her face as she put her hand back in her pocket and released the bullet back into its depths. "Yes, Bella, that is the silver bullet your bitch of a girlfriend tried to kill me with."

Bella raised her eyebrow for a moment in surprise, simply because Lisa thought that her and Kate were together. Was that because Kate had lied for Bella, and helped Bella bury what they thought was a dead Lisa? Then realizing how ridiculous the line of questions was, Bella shook her head and focused on the problem at hand.

The bullet, not only having Lisa's blood on it: evidence of her injury, but possibly had Kate's prints on too. Not to mention that Kate was the sherriff of the town. Meaning that if Lisa decided to hand that bullet in with some bullshit story of how Kate had tried to kill her, innocent as she was, then the police department would know that bullet matched Kate's gun.

Bella had watched enough crappy crime dramas to know how these things worked. They'd see the bullet and gun matched, they would take Lisa's story, which would most likely involve Bella without mentioning the wolf parts of it, and Lisa's crazy plans, and then they would have Kate and Bella locked up.

Another thought struck Bella then, as she pictured her and Kate locked up together. Lisa was evil. What if she decided that she would just send down Kate with her lies, and keep Bella out of it? What if she continued to haunt her life, and make Bella 'submit' to her, as she had wanted? Lisa could destroy them both.

Either by sending them both to jail, or just sending Kate to jail, and keeping Bella as a plaything. Both options were horrible, and Lisa knew that she held these very real possibilities over Bella and Kate's head. In conclusion: Lisa held all the cards, and Bella hated it. "How are you alive?" Bella demanded once more.

Lisa smirked and rocked from side to side. "You would love to know, wouldn't you? So that you could figure out a way to kill me for good, right? Well I'm not stupid, Bella!" She sneered and then quietened her voice. "I won't tell you how I survived, because I know how smart you are, _sister_ of mine, and I know that you'll figure out how to get rid of me for good."

Just as Bella opened her mouth to say something, although what that was going to be she wasn't quite sure, the two police officers knocked lightly on the door they had closed behind them and entered the room once more.

"Well girls, we have to take off right now. We'll be in touch, of course, as your case is still on going, but for now: goodbye, and enjoy being together again."

As Bella and Lisa mumbled their faked, enthusiastic goodbyes, Carmen and Eleazar both walked back into the room, taking up the spots left behind by the police officers. Bella had no choice but to act as if having Lisa back was the best thing in the world then, as she didn't want the Denali's to think something was wrong.

In order to keep up the act, she began to introduce Lisa to each of the Denali's as they filed back into the living room, each offering their congratulations and expressing how happy they were that, "Bella had her sister back again." While they lapsed into small talk with Lisa, Bella moved off to the side and grabbed Kate's arm, slipping them both out the room.

They both hurried out to the garden, checked that the coast was clear and then rounded on each other with matching wide eyes and white faces. Had the moment not been so deadly serious it may have been considered funny. "How the fucking hell did this happen?" Kate demanded.

"How am I supposed to know!?" Bella hissed, looking anxiously back at the house.

"Bella, I shot her! I _shot_ her in the head with a silver bullet!"

"Yeah, Kate, I think I realized that when we were burying her!" Bella whisper-screamed back.

Kate ran her hands through her hair and tugged at the roots, her eyes still wide and her face white with terror. Bella waited out her panic attack, trying to figure out a plan but then the back door was opening and Carmen and Eleazar were there, smiling. "You guys coming in? We made you a cake Bella, and there's enough for Lisa too."

Bella smiled warmly, because she was genuinely thankful that they were being so accommodating and loving. Had this been a normal situation, there open acceptance of yet another teenage orphan with issues would have been amazing, and Bella appreciated that. "We're coming now, I just wanted to chat with Kate about my case from here," Bella lied.

The both nodded in understanding, looking sympathetic and shut the door once more. Bella and Kate resumed their panicking as Kate whispered, "for some reason, she's acting like everything's fine, so we have to too, just until we understand her motive."

"Great plan," Bella agreed sarcastically, nodding. "Accept for once thing."

"What?"

"She has the bullet."

"She has the bullet!?" Kate screeched.

Bella winced and quickly looked to the back door before looking at Kate again. "Keep your voice down! Yes, she has the bullet."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier!?"

"When was most convenient for you, Kate?" Bella whispered furiously. "When the police brought her in, or when all your family were offering their congratulations!"

"Why are we arguing?!" Kate suddenly demanded, stepping closer.

Bella took a deep breath through her nose and nodded. "You're right. This is pointless, and I bet this is what she wants. We can't fall apart; we have to stick together."

The back door opened once more, startling Bella into stepping back from Kate after realizing how close they had stepped together. It was Lisa. Kate scowled, and Bella grimaced. Kate needed to reign in her temper. Lisa had evidence on them, and one wrong move, one chance for Kate to piss her off, and Lisa could destroy them both.

"What'cha talking about?" She giggled in a childlike voice.

This made Bella think of a five-year-old Lisa killing the little boy who had bulled her, smiling sweetly and with piggy tails and a bow in her hair. The quick image made Bella shudder and feel sick all at once. Bella was glad Kate chose to answer, because she was fighting the sudden ball in her throat.

"You have to leave," Kate demanded abruptly.

Lisa didn't seem bothered by the bluntness of Kate's tone. In fact, she began to laugh as if Kate had cracked a joke. "Don't worry, _sherriff,_ " she smirked with a sarcastic drawl. "I wouldn't stay here even if you paid me. You might try and kill me in my sleep… _again._ No, I'll be staying with my Mate."

Bella noticed the implied difference between, 'mate' as friend, and the way Lisa said, 'Mate' which suggested a wolf bonding. For some reason, Bella remembered that Lisa changed at will, unlike herself, who changed on the full moon, and Lisa taunting Bella with the fact that she didn't know why. Was that because she was Mated?

As Lisa picked up on the silence, and the lack of enthusiasm to her statement, she added, "I believe you bumped into his pack earlier, Bella?"

Lisa's grin turned smug as Bella's face hardened, but it was Kate who spoke. "What's she talking about, Bella? Just how many god damn werewolves are there around here?"

Bella threw Kate a pointed look that blatantly said, 'remember that we're not letting her get between us,' but said aloud, "I don't know. There's a few. Some good, and some bad."

Kate seemed to ignore her silent communication and instead sighed deeply while rubbing her temples like she had a serious migraine coming along. "Fucking hell. This is just crazy. What do you mean, "some good, and some bad"? What exactly is going on?"

Lisa chuckled, interrupting Bella's attempt at an explanation. "We fight each other. The pack that Bella's going to join, I assume, broke the initial pack and stole from us, which caused the divide."

"They didn't steal anything," Bella scoffed. "Your pack treated the people like animals."

Lisa growled at her sister, and it was far too animalistic from her human throat, in the bright day of reality to not give Bella goosebumps. "We did nothing of the sort. Your pack was in their rightful place!"

Bella clenched her fists in annoyance and then remembered that they weren't even her pack. Why was she getting so defensive of them? She had helped them fight last night, so what? Bella had been in a few scraps when she was younger for people she barely knew, or didn't give two shits about. A fight was a fight. It didn't mean she was obligated to the pack… did it?

Lisa held up her hand and then waved it in Bella's face. "I'm going. I've wasted far too much time in your presence." She pulled a face like she'd sucked a lemon before turning to leave. As she shut the back door she laughed, "see you for breakfast! You serve human meat, right?"

Lisa disappeared through the door and slammed it shut behind her, leaving Kate and Bella to look at other awkwardly. Kate, for her part, looked like she was about to combust with how her once white face was now flooding with red. Bella shivered in the cold wind and Kate cocked her head as if to say, 'follow me.'

Bella followed Kate through the house. She was unsure where they were going at first as she hadn't explored the house as much as she initially wanted too. She usually just stuck to her room and sometimes the living room if she wasn't washing or eating. It wasn't until Kate opened the door and ushered her inside did Bella realize that it was Kate's room.

It was as neat as a pin, which Bella wasn't surprised about. There was a large double bed, a T.V on the wall, some shelves filled with clutter and a walk in closet. Bella spied a few books on the shelves and the neatly concealed door that seemed to lead into a bathroom. From that direction Bella could smell Kate's usual perfume.

Kate took up Bella's attention again by sighing loudly and throwing herself down on the end of her neatly made bed. "Fucking hell. What are we going to do? What do you think she said to the police?" Kate muttered.

Bella shrugged. "Probably some bullshit about an escape. She's calculating. She would have said something about it being nighttime so she wouldn't have to provide location details, I'm betting."

Kate nodded, staring at a spot in the carpet intensely as the puzzled through Bella's words. Bella felt too awkward standing so she sat on the edge of Kate's bed without asking. Kate had slept in Bella's bed, so she didn't feel like it was too far-fetched to think that Kate would allow her to sit on the edge of her mattress.

"So what did she say to you completely?" Kate asked, still staring at the carpet, unblinking.

Bella followed her gaze and looked at the same spot. "She showed me the bullet. She didn't say it exactly, but I got the gist that she would hand us in if we pissed her off. She also said she wouldn't tell me how she was alive, because she knew I was smart enough to then figure out how she could die for good."

Kate sighed and briskly rubbed her face with her two palms, ruffling the hairs of her eyebrows and making them stand up. "Okay. Give me some time to think about a plan, and come back to my room tonight."

Bella didn't really want to leave Kate, or the comfort of her room, but she could tell that it was a gentle dismissal and decided to do as she was asked. Not knowing what to do with herself, Bella went downstairs to the rest of the Denali's and stuffed her face with birthday cake, faking her happiness whenever Lisa was mentioned.

Apparently Lisa had told them all that she would be around for breakfast, and being the loving family they were, they hadn't said anything but yes. Sometimes Bella wished the Denali's weren't so open and loving. Tanya was excitable that they were celebrating Bella's birthday and even cut Bella's huge slices of cake.

Irina was a party pooper and said she had only had a few hours' sleep, not to mention she had to get back to the club soon, and so took herself to bed. Kate stayed in her room, no doubt worrying herself sick, which made Bella feel terrible every time she thought about her. Carmen and Eleazar were their normal, cheery selves and talked about Lisa as much as they could.

Finally, after the hours had dragged by and Bella felt enough time had reasonably passed for her to show her gratitude for the cake and small spread put out, she excused herself with bullshit about, 'all the excitement tiring her out,' and, 'needing a walk to calm down,' after which she left the house.

She intended to go back to the pack she had met last night; the one she had fought with. Bella was still quite tired after falling into bed at dawn and being woken up at ten, but the brisk air put some color back into her cheeks and some life back into her movements. It was eerily quiet the closer she got to the village and a small part of her became nervous.

After the long trek upwards, along the slightly rocky path and then further on still, Bella finally came to the fallen tree which was intersected with large rocks. The rocks were slimy and wet with moss and other elements when Bella used them to climb over the tree trunk and she had to fight through more trees and branches afterwards.

After finally pushing through the millions of obstacles in her way, Bella managed to get into the village. It was busy and alive with noise. People scurried left and right, not even sparing her a glance as she made her way to the hut built into the rocky cave she had visited previously. Bella knocked lightly on the wooden door and it opened immediately.

"Bella!" The pale woman greeted her. "I was hoping you would come. Please: follow me."

Bella smiled politely as there was no room for her to answer back and was about to follow the woman inside when instead the woman stepped out the door. Bella frowned in confusion but otherwise followed without comment. When they did stop it was at a cliffs edge that gave Bella a breath taking view of the forest bellow intersected with mountains and sparkling rivers.

Bella opened her mouth to start the conversation, but the woman spoke over her. "I want to introduce myself: I'm Calisto Atheries, and I will be your teacher."

Bella raised her eyebrow. "Teacher?"

Calisto didn't seem fazed by Bella's surprise, and instead nodded. "You can call me Cali, if you'd like. Everyone else does. Now I know you had your first transformation last night, and you did so well, by the way! However, I'm sure you don't want to go through that every time, do you?"

Bella stayed silent because she wasn't sure if Cali meant the agony of the transformation, the awareness in her wolf, or the way her wolf took over her, or possibly all three. Cali noticed her confusion and clarified, "the bone breaking agony?"

Bella nodded, grimacing at the memory of the horrendous pain and yet being unable to scream. Cali nodded somberly, and Bella was startled by how soothed she felt to know that someone else had experienced such unimaginable torture. It made her feel… better, about the pain. Cali smiled gently and continued speaking. "I'm going to teach you all you need to know, dear."

Bella wrapped her arms around herself, fighting off the chill of the day. "Like what?"

Cali looked over the views and away from Bella, but continued to speak. "How to control your animal, how to hunt, how to defend yourself and anything else you need to know… you see that path there?" She asked suddenly, pointing out what Bella thought at first was a large rock.

Bella took a step forward and squinted at the rock, staring for a quite a while in silence before finally noticing the barely distinguished road that wound around the rock and disappeared from sight. Bella scowled at how long it had taken to find it and asked, "isn't my eyesight meant to be super definition now?"

Cali laughed softly and Bella looked to her with red cheeks, feeling as if that was a ridiculous question. "Many people think that. It's a myth. Our human bodies are human. Our wolf bodies, are wolf. With their senses, and not ours. We don't simply 'change' into a wolf, Bella. There is a wolf inside us, and we are two different beings entirely. That's very important to know."

Bella nodded her understanding and indicated the path again. "So why was you asking about that pathway?"

Cali looked back at the path and nodded as if remembering her initial point. "This is where we will start. Once we're past the rock and into the small tunnel, we'll begin your training." Bella had barely nodded before Cali said, "you lead," as if Bella lived here and she didn't.

Even so Bella did as she was asked and started towards the path. It was nerve wracking as they were on a literal cliffs edge and Bella was the clumsiest person in the world. She was terrified she would put her foot in front of her wrong and go plummeting off the edge. As they made their way, as slowly as possible, Bella asked, "why is it just the two of us?"

"These are our lands, and the other pack wouldn't come here."

Glad to have her mind taken off the sheer drop, Bella carried on the conversation with a, "why?"

Cali shrugged, which Bella only knew from the rustling of her clothes on the rock. "They don't like the smell, or something like that. No one really knows what that means. They just have their land, and we have ours. Careful now."

Bella looked over the path they were on, noticing the large body of water that flowed down from above them, over the edge they were on, and then into the depths below. Bella wondered if there was a pool at the bottom, and how tall this mountain was if the waterfall was coming from somewhere above her.

It took Bella a moment to realize that she would have to wade through the waterfall which would soak her jeans. She took a deep breath, braced herself, and stepped into it. "Fuck!" She shouted without deciding to. The water was so cold that it hurt. "Sorry," she mumbled immediately.

Cali only laughed behind her and continued to follow Bella through their trek through the current and finally to the tunnel that was nestled through the waterfall. "I'm going to get drenched, aren't I?" Bella deadpanned.

Cali laughed. "Should I have mentioned it?"

"Probably," Bella muttered sarcastically.

She braced herself once more and stepped through the water fall, giving a small screech at the unbelievably frigid water that soaked her. Once inside, and Cali behind her, Bella was advised to travel deeper into the narrow tunnel until she had to climb into a small pool. Apparently she had to get in it, hold her breath, swim through the small opening and come out on the other side.

Bella looked at Cali with wide eyes and mouth. "Why?" She spluttered. "Can't we just go through it here?" Cali shook her head, her eyes lit with laughter and said, "you're already wet aren't you?"

Bella groaned and decided to suck it up. She did as she was instructed: climbed into the small pool, went under the water, swam through the small opening and then emerged on the other side and gulped in a deep breath of air. As soon as Bella was out, Cali popped through and Bella helped the older woman from the cold pool.

The whole thing seemed pointless to Bella. They could have just spoke on the cliffs edge, or even at the tunnel opening. They didn't need to go to such lengths just to talk about simple things and drench themselves on a freezing cold day. The reason didn't become apparent to Bella until Cali said, "that was the first part of your training: following orders."

Bella flushed at the realization and followed Cali around a bend that led to a new opening into the rock. The opening led them straight into a surrounding forest and a small lake that seemed to connect at some point with the waterfall. As they approached the waterfall and then stopped, Cali seemed to finally be pleased with their location.

She turned to Bella and Bella noticed how red her scar looked with her face wet. "Soon, you will transform. I want you to be as relaxed as you can; don't fight it, and let it happen."

"What?" Bella gasped, her heart now racing from the sudden information. "How?" She demanded.

Cali ignored her panicking and instead said, "it won't hurt. Once you turn in the daylight, it will be easier for you to control yourself. Your wolf is a slave to the moon and so if you turn under the sun, the moon has less control. The only time you will ever feel pain is under the full moon."

"I don't understand," Bella admitted, her heart still racing.

Cali nodded. "I know. Just be quiet, and watch."

With that, the elderly woman began to strip her sodden clothes. Bella flushed hot in the cheeks and turned to look away, but Cali snarled, "look at me!" Bella's head snapped to the older woman in not just surprise, but submission. She felt it like a heavy blanket on her bones making her body taunt with tension at the order.

No matter how much she wanted to, Bella couldn't look away. She had to watch instead as Cali stripped until she was in nothing but bare skin. As Bella looked at Cali, and Cali watched Bella, she felt a strange stirring inside her chest. Like something recognizing something else, but of what she couldn't pinpoint.

There was no pain but out of nowhere it felt like her chest had exploded and now her wolf was tearing through her ribcage to get out of her human skin. Bella fell to her knees with a gasp of surprise and then suddenly she was flung on her back as if someone had physically shoved her. It was the weirdest feeling: not experiencing pain but having her body contorted.

Before Bella knew it, she was on four legs, not two, and her whole world had changed in shape, color and sound. Cali continued to stand before her but now she was smiling with congratulations. Bella whined softly trying to ask, 'what now?' when Cali's whole body fluidly shrunk into a snowy white wolf with narrowed eyes.

Bella stared at the wolf, waiting for her next orders when a sensation like flowing water touched her mind. Without being able to describe it, all Bella could understand was that this was Cali. It had the distinct impression of her in the way that ever person had a unique scent or voice. Cali penetrated her mind with words.

 _Can you hear me?_

 **Yes.**

 _Bow your head, Bella, and accept the connection._

Bella did as she was told without questioning once more and she felt something shift inside her head, like a bad telephone line becoming clearer and enabling her to communicate more efficiently with Cali.

 **I don't understand, Cali. How could I just change?**

 _You changed because of me. In our species, there is one thing we love more than food: Mating. When you saw me naked, your wolf answered to the invitation._

Bella whined in surprise and Cali's wolf let out a snort that sounded like laughter.

 _That doesn't mean that you're attracted to me as a human, Bella. Remember that you and your wolf are two different beings. I told you that was important._

 **But…** Bella hesitated, hoping her next question didn't sound ridiculous. **Does that mean my wolf is 'gay'?**

Bella asked the question with hesitation. Firs, because she hoped it didn't sound stupid and mostly because she didn't understand her human sexual preferences. She hadn't been with any men, or women, before due to her horrible circumstances and the ever present worry that whoever got close to her would be hurt. But she wasn't silly. She knew she liked Kate.

A lot.

 _No, Bella._ Cali asked her previous question _. Our wolves have no regard for gender. They are animals, and do not follow human conceptions. Your wolf simply noticed a willing fellow wolf and answered to the call. You may have noticed an excitable feeling towards other wolves._

Bella thought back to last night and how when the black wolves had showed up their scent had enticed her and made her heart beat wildly. Then they had tried to chase, hurt and corner her, which had made that enticement go away. Perhaps that was because Bella's wolf realized that they weren't willing and so didn't try to mate with them.

 **What does Mating have to do with the change?**

 _If a wolf Mates, they can change at will, regardless of the time of, or day._

Without waiting for a reply from Bella, Cali began to run around the small lake. Bella copied her as she remembered how much had enjoyed this last night. Time trickled on as they raced each other and indulged in some playful competition and soon the skies were dark. By the time droplets of rain began to splash against the lake surface, Cali came to a stop.

Cali advised Bella to drink from the lake after noticing her panting chest and lolling tongue. _Nice isn't it?_ She asked. Bella bowed her large head in agreement. _Now take in the scents around you, Bella._

Bella wasn't sure what she smelt that made her release a whine of contentment but the sound was out of her mouth nearly as soon as she had taken a deep inhale. This seemed to appease Cali though because she said, _good. Now follow me back to the cave._

They raced along once more, playfully competing each other as the rain lashed down and soaked their fur and the mud. The slick mud caused them to leave paw prints behind every time they stepped down on it and sprayed dirt along their legs. Bella nearly slid in surprise at the loud roar that came up ahead.

Immediately she knew that it wasn't a fellow wolf, but something equally powerful in size and strength. Cali stopped and Bella copied the movement.

 _A grizzly. A great first test. I saw you fight wolves, but bears are more of a challenge._

Bella whined low, knowing this had been the scent from earlier. She wanted that bear right now. She wanted it to be her kill and she wanted to eat it. It must have spotted the two wolves and understood the threats they presented because it stood up on two legs and roared louder. Bella was nervous, but she decided doing it now would be better.

With new bravado, she took a running leap at the bear and swiped her claws across its face with a roar of her own. The bear reacted and sank its claws into her fur, using the grip to shove Bella into the mud. Bella howled in pain and got back up despite the angry wound now on her side and ran at the bear once more.

With a quick glance over the creature with her eyes, Bella noticed an unhealed and raw cut on its leg. A weak spot. Taking another run at the bear and the bear doing the same, the two clashed in the middle and began tearing into each other's fur and muscle with sharp claws. Bella howled in pain and bit down hard on the bears shoulder.

The creature reacted by removing a paw from her side and swiping it at her face instead. It made a good connection and Bella felt fur pull away from her face. She roared in agony and dived for its leg, biting into it savagely. The bear hit Bella with its paw once again, trying to get her off, but she gnawed on the wound until she had reached the bone.

Now with a bad cut and broken leg, the bear was weak enough for Bella to sink her claws into its side once more and simultaneously her teeth into its neck. With enough pressure from her jaw and a tight grip, it didn't take long for Bella to snap the creatures neck. When it was dead and on the floor, Bella devoured it raw.

When she had finally finished, she moved from the carcass with a wet muzzle and looked to Cali for her approval. Cali's large head bowed as if she had given it and then she said, _well done, Bella. That was a tough fight, and I'm glad to see you healing already. We must head back now. Your training is not complete._

For a large majority of the day Cali forced Bella to turn from human to wolf, and wolf to human, and back again as much as physically possible in the 'daylight' hours despite the sun beginning to go down. Bella couldn't change at will yet, because she wasn't 'Mated' but she could change when she saw Cali naked, as her wolf answered to the invitation.

It wasn't until nearly ten o'clock on the night when an exhausted, soaked and muddy Bella dragged herself through the Denali's front door and up the stairs. After a long, hot shower, Bella's sore muscles were more relaxed and she was clean but still incredibly tired. She wanted nothing more than to go to bed, but remembered that Kate wanted to see her.

Bella made her way to Kate's room and let herself in after a receiving a, 'come in' from her small knock. As she entered, thoughts of Lisa plagued her mind and she worried that she should have told Cali about her sister and that she was part of the pack they had been fighting for years. Bella pushed these thoughts aside as she noticed Kate on the end of her bed.

A hot flush started at Bella's cheeks and worked its way down her neck and into her chest, turning her skin a deep red at the sight of Kate in short pajama pants and a tight tank top. Bella prayed that Kate thought it was due to the heat of the house. "How was work?" She asked quickly.

Kate sighed deeply, clearly stressed. "Crazy. I'm the head of the team on your case and it's awful reviewing evidence when I know the truth. Anyway, how was your day?"

Bella shrugged and sat next to Kate on the bed. "Okay. I went to see the pack. They taught me a few essential things."

Kate nodded and tried to look interested but she yawned, belaying how tired she was too. "Do you want me to leave?" Bella asked, worried that she was intruding on Kate's sleeping time.

"No! No, no. I'm just tired. I'd actually like some company. Fancy watching some T.V?"

Bella hesitated but finally nodded. "Sure."

"Okay. You get into bed, and I'll get the lights."

Bella smiled, her stomach fluttering. She was getting into Kate's bed, and sharing it with her. Bella tried not to read too much into it, but she couldn't help the butterflies that swarmed inside her as she climbed into bed and waited for Kate to get in too. When she finally did, she grabbed the remote and put on a random movie channel.

They lay side by side for a few minutes. Their skin was barely touching but Bella could tell how warm her skin was compared to Kate's. Bella kept her eyes on the television, but she noticed from the corner and the rustling sheets that Kate moved closer. Her heart pounded harder against her chest and her breathing picked up.

Suddenly Kate's hand was hesitantly brushing against the exposed skin of Bella's stomach. Bella gasped softly as her stomach tightened in response and looked at Kate for an explanation. The blonde didn't say anything for a few moments before she said, "I think you're beautiful."

Bella flushed, her stomach a mess of butterflies, her skin covered in goosebumps and her head racing. "I think you're beautiful too."

Kate grinned and her perfectly white teeth gleamed in the darkness. "Then I can do this. _Finally_."

Bella gasped and it turned into a low moan as Kate threw herself forward and pressed a hot and desperate kiss to Bella's lips. Soon the two woman were kissing with teeth and tongue, grasping at each other's clothes and fighting for dominance. Not even minutes later, both of their clothes were on the floor.

 **AN: Thanks to my beta LeighJ11**


	11. Eleven

**AN: I don't own twilight!**

Bella woke cocooned in warmth, her body light and languid as she rolled over onto her back. The sun poured through her bedroom window, lighting up her room and tracing beautiful splashes of yellow along her bare skin… her bare skin? Come to think of it, Bella thought, looking around the room: this isn't my room, and that isn't my window.

Sitting up abruptly, Bella grasped the thin cover to her bare chest and looked down at the sprawled blonde beside her, who was just beginning to wake up from Bella's jolting movements and was deliciously, sinfully naked. Bella bit her lip, watching with a mix of excited anticipation and dread as Kate became fully conscious and took in her surroundings.

The beautiful blonde rolled onto her back, the covers pulling with her and clinging to her bare breasts just enough to cover her modesty. "Morning Bella," she whispered, her throat thick from sleep and her lashes sweeping softly against her cheeks.

Bella's heart kicked a beat and her stomach burned with renewed desire. This woman, and Kate was a woman, was stunning. Blonde hair warmed from the sun spilling over pale shoulders and full lips puffy and pink from the previous night's kissing and… indulgences. Bella couldn't believe that such a gorgeous woman would ever look at her twice, let alone sleep with her.

She had called Bella beautiful, Bella remembered as she softly touched her lower lip, while Kate's sleepy eyes fluttered with indecision as to stay awake or go back to sleep. Kate had touched, caressed and loved Bella's plain, pale body and gazed into her muddy brown eyes with tenderness and desire. She had stroked her thin limbs and kissed her flat chest.

Kate, the blonde goddess had worshipped Bella, the average girl with a damaged heart and a bitter past. Kate had brought her to life last night with full lips and long fingers, with tender touches and heated words, with gasped pleas and broken cries of pleasure. She brought Bella to life, and she killed her with the look of horror that swept over her face two seconds after.

"Bella!" Kate screeched suddenly, now fully awake and mouth open with disbelief, and realization.

She regretted it, Bella knew it, could see it and felt her heart twist painfully. Of course she regretted it, Bella thought bitterly. Kate was other worldly stunning, too beautiful to be held in Bella's inexperienced and clumsy grasp, bound by Bella's plain looks and plain performance in bed. Kate could have any woman, any woman that was as equally stunning.

"Was it that bad?" Bella whispered hoarsely, fighting tears of humiliation and feeling her cheeks burn with a thousand suns worth of heat.

"No, Bella!" Kate gasped, sitting up and holding the covers to her chest in a mirror image of Bella. "It's not that, not at all!" She promised, holding the covers with one hand and reaching out the other to grab Bella's.

Bella pulled away because she was humiliated and insecure. She didn't want Kate's pity, but she regretted the look of hurt that swept along Kate's pretty face at the blatant rejection. "You were… amazing," Kate whispered fiercely, as if it was one of the most important admissions on the earth.

"Then why-?" Bella whispered back, still feeling embarrassed and unsure if she should believe Kate.

"We could get into so much trouble, Bella…"

"I wasn't going to tell anyone," Bella muttered, now desperate to get out of the bed and dressed while wishing she could rewind time and go back to the first glorious moment she had woken in warmth and happiness believing that a beautiful girl could want her.

Bella breathed harshly when Kate didn't reply and prepared to exit the bed, dreading the tension and silences that were to come between her and Kate. That was until the door knocked and then swung open not a millisecond later with no approval from Kate. Bella gasped and flung herself under the cover, curling into a tight ball around Kate's body.

The moment her head was lay on Kate's chest, Bella heard Irina's chirpy voice saying, "Kate! Guess what?"

Kate grasped a load of pillows and piled them over Bella's body and then leaned back on them as if she was getting comfy as to obscure Bella's lump as she scolded Irina. "I've told you not to come in like that!"

There was silence and Bella imagined that Irina was rolling her eyes. "Yeah, when you have a woman over, but I know no one was here last night, so it's fine."

If only you knew, Bella thought, trying to calm her breathing beneath the heat of the covers, pillows and Kate's body.

Kate answered with a mumbled, "whatever," and then spoke louder as she asked, "so what did you burst in here for?"

"I'm expanding!"

"The club?"

"Yeah! It's great, isn't it?"

"Yeah, congratulations. Where are you expanding to?"

"London."

"What!?"

Bella rolled her eyes beneath the covers. She felt the mattress move and then Irina's bum by her foot. Kate angled her body as if getting comfy, proceeding to tuck in Bella's foot and elbow her in the side of the head at the same time. Bella suppressed the 'oomph' of pain and tried to breathe through the oppressing heat swaddling her. Hurry up, she thought.

"That's mental, Irina! Are you going to move out and leave us?"

Bella got the impression from the slightly hurt note in Kate's voice that it would be the first time Irina had left the 'nest' or the first time that any of the Denali girls had.

"No," Irina scoffed. "But I'll go and check out the club once or twice a month. I am thinking about moving out soon though. I mean, we live in a big house Kate, but I just want my own space where mom doesn't complain about the amount of guys I bring home every night."

The conversed for a few minutes after that, debating the pros and cons of Irina moving out and where to move to, about any of them moving out and what their parents would do with the large space. Bella couldn't believe that Kate was letting the conversation go on for so long. She was suffocated under here!

Finally, after an eternity, Irina left and closed the door behind her upon Kate's request. Bella popped up immediately and gasped dramatically for breath.

"Christ, you okay?" Kate giggled.

"Two more minutes and I wouldn't be," Bella replied, only half joking.

They lapsed back into awkward silence after that where they silently agreed to shower and dress. It was semi awkward but otherwise Bella enjoyed the process of showering while Kate hunted for her work clothes and then brushing her teeth as Kate showered to then dressing as Kate sang in the shower. She did her hair while Kate dressed and brushed her teeth.

After that Bella made Kate's bed and put her dirty clothes in Kate's hamper while Kate put her hair in a professional and simple bun, slinging on her sheriff jacket as Bella put on her shoes and leather jacket she had retrieved from her room along with her clothes and toothbrush after her shower.

It was a small thrill to see her dirty clothes in Kate's hamper, her brush on Kate's dressing table, her tooth brush on Kate's sink and smell her shampoo in Kate's private bathroom. To then make the bed they had shared together and get ready around each other's small schedule. Bella enjoyed it. It was comforting, routine and peaceful. She wanted to do it again.

Around thirty minutes late they were both walking out the door and stopped on the front step before parting ways. Kate looked fresh and professional in her uniform: tight shirt, work trousers that molded to her curves and shiny hair in a simple bun. Bella looked like a typical teenage: jeans, converse and leather jacket.

They didn't make a match, or even look good together. Kate carried the whole thing with her womanly appearance, her professional outlook and her gorgeous facial features. How could they ever be in a relationship? Bella thought and then thought: is Kate asking herself the same question? Or am I reading too much into last night? Was it just sex?

Kate broke the silence by asking: "Where are you off to?"

"Friends..."

Kate nodded. "Well, I have a case east of town. So it should be a busy day."

Bella nodded back, feeling young and awkward. "I'll see you when you get home then."

Kate nodded, chewed on her full bottom lip and then whispered, "come to my room again tonight."

Bella's heart kicked against her rib in excitement but she only managed a small, "okay."

Bella watched Kate smile her goodbye and turn with her thermal flask in hand and bag slung over her shoulder towards her car. She climbed in, started the engine, gave Bella one last smile out of the window and pulled out and away from the house, down the dirt road that would lead her into town, and to work.

Bella sight softly and began to make her way to the forest. As she did, she thought about the training she would be enduring today and talking to Cali about Lisa. Thinking about Lisa then reminded her that her sister had told everyone she would be around for breakfast this morning. Although Bella wasn't complaining, she wondered why Lisa hadn't showed.

However, speak of the devil, and she shall appear. "Hi, Bells!"

Bella scowled at the upbeat and chipper greeting. It was exactly like the one she would hear at lunch when they met up after their lessons in school. It was a greeting and voice from another world, another lifetime. Bella hated hearing it and felt a punch in the gut at all she had lost in that one greeting. The sister she loved, the lies she lived.

"What do you want?" Bella growled, trying not to have a breakdown.

Lisa giggled. "Well that's no way to greet your baby sis, is it?"

"You're older than me."

Lisa rolled her eyes, keeping up pace with Bella's long strides. "I wanted to see if you'd accompany me somewhere," Lisa continued.

Bella shook her head, not wanting to waste breath on the shadow of her sister. "Aw, why not?" Lisa pouted. "It's going to be so fun! Pretty please?"

"Not a chance."

"Come onnnnn," she whined.

"Lisa, fuck off!" Bella shouted, finally coming to a stop.

Lisa's face twisted from the Lisa Bella had known to the Lisa Bella now knew as she dropped her false face and tone of voice. "Bella," she growled low and dangerous. A warning. A threat. With just her name.

Bella growled back, undeterred, neither scared nor threatened. "What do you want from me?" She spat. "You want me to cower? You want me to cry?"

Lisa narrowed her eyes, her pretty green eyes that stared up blankly at Bella with a bullet embedded between them. The image made Bella's heart shatter and then she felt the fragments gather in her chest and whirl inside the tsunami of hurt and rage inside her until they gathered into a hard ball and violently exited her chest in a whirlwind of honesty and anger.

"What do you want from me! You turn up here, and you turn my life upside down. You admit that you killed everyone I loved! Everyone! Why? Why? Why?" Bella chanted like a broken toy, like the broken soul she was. "So you could have me to yourself!?"

Lisa opened her mouth and Bella growled her warning: she wasn't finished. "I watched you die. I buried you. I grieved. I agonized. I tore myself into a thousand pieces and I cried. I cried so god damn much. I didn't sleep, I didn't eat, I didn't move. I slept with my eyes open and if they slid shut I saw nothing but your dead body, your eyes looking into mine with betrayal. I saw the bullet in your brain, the one that you couldn't survive. The bullet that killed the Lisa I knew and loved. The one that loved me and was beautiful and honest and young. The one that was scared by her fighting parents and hugged me and loved me. And I saw the murderer you had become. The killer of innocents. The monster. I grieved and I agonized and then guess what? You were there again, trying to ruin my life. So try your god damn best!" Bella screamed the 'god damn best part,' continuing the screeching volume with, "you can't hurt me anymore!" and then surprised herself as silence fell, as the ball inside fell quiet, as Lisa's wide green eyes, brimming with tears -fake or real? - Narrowed once more. The world hushed and Bella's voice hushed as she whispered, "I don't love you anymore. You walk, and talk. But you're dead to me."

For just a millisecond, a tiny, breath stopping moment, Bella thought that she had broken something inside Lisa. Had conquered something, had broken open something that was damaged, broken it so that she could see inside and fix the problem. Just a millisecond that lasted for a thousand years. Lisa was there. She was right there. She was coming back.

Then she was gone. The slim gap, the micro space of opportunity vanished and Bella was left staring at the closed door, at the blocks of concrete surrounding that tiny space she'd had the briefest look into. Lisa hardened all over, perhaps more so than she had before, as if she had to compensate for that microsecond of weakness.

Bella let out a deep breath full of sadness and disappointment. Lisa crossed her arms, now bored of the conversation, of Bella's outburst. "I don't care how you dealt with your guilt for letting your slapper of a girlfriend kill me."

Bella stayed as calm as she could and told herself the same thing she had told Lisa, "you're dead to me."

Lisa turned and left without comment when Bella didn't reply to her insult. For a moment Bella debated following her. She could hurt someone in rage, or go to the police with the bullet. But then Bella thought better of it. Lisa was playing with her and Kate. She had something planned and whatever it was, she needed Kate and Bella willing to play her games.

Instead Bella took off for the village. It was a little harder to travel today due to heavy wind and rain but the village had a languid feel to it when she entered, as if it were a peaceful sunny day. Some people even seemed to be lying in the rain as if they were sun bathing. Bella thought it was strange but didn't comment as she searched for Cali.

She found her speaking to an armed man who looked equal mixtures alert and anxious. They were speaking in a language Bella couldn't name. As she approached them, the man left looking stressed on top of his other two emotions. Bella smiled at Cali as the older woman noticed her.

Cali smiled back, although she looked stressed from the conversation too. "Bella. It's nice of you to drop by. Are you here for some more training?"

Bella nodded her head. "I have a few questions too."

Cali nodded rather solemnly and led Bella without comment to the hut that seemed to be hers. Once inside, Bella was surprised at how warm and dry it was inside, considering it was attached into a cave that Bella expected to be damp and cool. It did wonders for her skin as she was soaked through.

Cali led her to the dining room table where they had spoken before and where Cali seemed to speak with anyone in the hut. "What are your questions, Bella?" She asked when they were seated.

Bella flushed, hating the fact that she was under Cali's intense stare. "I have a sister… Lisa. It's a long story, but she's the one who bit me. I need help, with her."

Cali nodded thoughtfully, looking nether surprised or outraged at the information previously kept from her. "You want us to help, is that it? Because we'd be happy too, Bella, if she is a threat."

Bella took a deep breath and nodded, answering softly, "she is, Cali. She's… bad. So bad. She's a part of the other pack, the one that you've been fighting. I have seen the things she's done, and she was gleeful when she confessed killing and eating…" Bella whispered, her voice cracking with the sheer horror of it all.

Cali didn't need her to clarify on what Lisa had been eating. Her mouth became pinched and her eyes tight as she nodded once more, keeping her intense stare on Bella to continue. "The thing is… she was trying to hurt me again, and my… um… friend… shot her with a silver bullet, in the head. We thought she was dead. We buried her. Kept it a secret. But then she was just there again! And now she's trying to ruin our lives and she's hurting good people. She needs to be stopped!" Bella shouted, now impassioned and breathing heavy.

She cleared her throat in embarrassment and settled back into her chair, looking to Cali with confusion and pleading. "I know why she didn't die," Cali answered simply.

Bella waited for her to elaborate, which she didn't, so she finally asked, "how?"

Cali instead answered with a question: "was it the first time your friend had seen Lisa?"

Bella nodded, slightly impatient. What did this have to do with anything? Finally, Cali elaborated. She spoke with the tone and air of someone ancient and wise, filled to the brim with wisdom passed down through the years as if imparting a great and beautiful secret about superior beings to the less superior.

"The only way for a werewolf, not to be confused with a shapeshifter Bella, but a werewolf, to die, is through a bond. It can be done by a mate, or an enemy. Love or hate. We are creatures bound by the moon, Bella. The moon is soft, light and cool. Like love. A deep pond of infinite love and caring. The sun is like hate. Hot, fiery and can kill when too close. We are bound by the moon, but the sun is our savior too. We are free if we can master the sun, and from there the moon. Our downfall is these ties we carry in our genes. Love, and hate."

Bella gaped in astonishment. This was real life, but Bella still thought of werewolves in the terms of myths and legends. Of stories and folklore. She thought of silver bullets and knifes, of full moons and hideous transformations. She would never have thought of love and hate. Of the connection to the sun and the moon. It was tragically beautiful.

Cali continued, "for your sister to die, it has to be through that bond. Our pack does not hate Lisa. We hate what her pack represents and that is why we can kill wolves of that pack, and they can kill wolves of ours. But sometimes the bond is not strong enough. We fight for power, and freedom, not hate. Some come back to life, because the intent wasn't there. That is why the pack war is long, and ongoing. Because deep down, we do not feel it as intently as is needed."

Bella raised her eyebrows in surprise. Another thing she hadn't thought of, or realized. It made perfect sense. Why the pack war never stopped. Why it was ongoing, and there seemed to be no point. No end. No winner. But that meant if hate couldn't kill Lisa, then it was down to Bella. But what did she really feel for Lisa? Love or hate? Was it strong enough to kill her?

Cali seemed to realize what she was thinking and whispered, "you love and hate her, Bella. I see it in your eyes. You question yourself, because you hate who she is but love who you thought she was."

"How did you know? I haven't even told you everyth-"

"It does not matter," Cali interrupted. "I felt it in your will to remove her. She's a threat. To you, to society. Dangerous, and untamed. You love her enough to save her. To forgive her sins. To put her to rest."

Bella's head was thumping in time with her heart. It was down to her. What a cosmic joke. What irony. What karma. Lisa had taken everything. Had snatched it up in her evil grasp and ground it to dusk, laughing at Bella's ignorance, pretending to wipe Bella's tears, to love her and provide safety when she was the danger. Now Bella would kill her. For her sins; for Bella's family.

The hut door burst open and the pounding of feet ricocheted across the cave walls. Two boys burst into the dining room, shouting, "red eyes in the forest, ma'am!"

Cali looked at the boys, nodded, ordered them to stay put and then ordered Bella to follow her. Bella did as she was told and followed Bella through the hut door and into the village. Everyone was on high alert and there was a swarm of activity. The rain was getting worse, which didn't seem to help anyone's panic.

Bella stood silently beside Cali, waiting for some sort of order as she watched little rivers of mud begin to form from the rain. Cali addressed everyone after silently assessing their panic. "Everyone on the lookout! Children are priority, keep them safe! We will deal with this. I want my five guards with me. Others, you know the drill!"

Three men and two women seemed to emerge from nowhere out of the crowd. Cali indicated with a nod of her head for Bella to follow her and the five guards. Bella did, blinking the rain from her eyelashes. "What's going on? What's 'red eye'?" Bella asked over the harsh rain.

Cali grimaced and very seriously answered, "vampires," without looking at Bella.

Bella felt her eyes pop. Vampires? What did they want? Bella jogged to keep up with Cali and her guards pace, and also not slip in the mud with her ungraceful feet. Cali suddenly turned and faced Bella, saying briskly, "I need you here, with us. Can you change?" At Bella's quick shake of the head, Cali said, "just focus on me."

Without any further instructions, Cali stripped down right there in front of everyone, in the pouring rain, staring intently at Bella and discarding her clothes on the muddy floor where they were trampled on immediately by passing people. She gave a short wail before she seemed to burst out of her skin, leaving a wolf in her place.

From there, Cali was in Bella's head again: _Follow me, Bella. The others have broken up into groups of two, and three. We have to catch up, and fight._

Bella nodded her head in both understanding and to accept the connection. She envisioned not Cali's naked body, but Kate's. She thought of how willing and submissive Kate had been last night. Of her golden hair and soft skin. Her body changed faster than it had before, and then she was racing side by side with Cali in wolf form.

Within seconds her fur was soaked and mud stained her paws and hind legs. Bella hopped over a fallen tree and then whined low at Cali when a strange smell invaded her nose. It was nothing she had ever smelt before and she couldn't distinguish if it was a horrible smell or a plain one. If it bothered her or not.

Cali answer: _Vampire. Caution, Bella._

Cali then took a sharp right up the hill and Bella carried on straight, knowing that Cali had wanted them to split up. She followed the vampires scent and it took her into the forest ahead. Within moment of breaking through the tree line Bella spotted the pale man who was running faster than Bella had even see Cali run with her powerful hind legs.

At first Bella couldn't determine what the fuss was about. He was a vampire, so what? He was like them: supernatural, and different. He ran fast. He killed to survive. Yes, it was probably humans, but who was Bella to judge a being that had probably been forced into being a vampire just as much as she had been forced into being a werewolf?

She was just about to turn back and explain to Cali that she wanted no part in this particular chase, and possibly killing, when the man turned back, caught sight of Bella and hissed. The sound seemed to splinter and multiple, resounding in Bella's skin for an eternity. Like a hiss of a flame, it invoked a fire inside Bella she had only ever felt the first night of being a wolf.

Something ancient, something primal and… other opened inside her, and Bella was gone. Her conscious was there, watching the wolf body, but the reaction was all wolf. Like the previous fighting, Bella wasn't bothered by the wolfs reaction. She respected the wolf, and its body, like the wolf respected her. There was an understanding, a melding between them.

This feeling, this hunt, was as old as time. Older than human beings and society and dates and sundials. It was ancient, and so very primal. The wolf sped up and so did the vampire. He shoved down a tree, trying to send Bella askew but Bella wasn't in control, the wolf was, and the wolf knew how to fight vampires.

Bella was over the fallen tree, listening to it roll behind her faster than the vampire had taken it down. She spied Cali coming up on her right and watched her gain purchase on the vampire. Cali's large paws knocked the vampire tumbling down the hill. Bella thought it was over but then watched the vampire regain purchase and dart off to the left.

Bella dug her claws deep into the earth, pushed off her back legs and sprang towards the vampire. She missed him by inches with her teeth. Lucky for her, Cali anticipated the vampire saving his face and jumped in front of his path as he tried to calculate a new one. She therefore managed to throw her weight into his shoulder.

The push sent the vampire into Bella who bent her large head and bit down on the vampire's head and ripped it clean off his shoulders. She spat it from her large jaw somewhere away from her and watched with satisfactory glee as the vampire's headless body fell to floor, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

 _Well done, Bella. But there's more. Come._

Bella followed closely behind Cali, the wolf in complete control and Bella the observer, and they found themselves in a section of woods covered in scattered pieces of several vampires. Cali marched up to her five wolves, who all bowed their head. Bella wondered if it was to accept connection or show respect, or both.

Either way, Cali's voice was in her head soon after: _Well done. I'm very impressed by your efforts. I think th-_

Cali paused mid-thought, interrupted by the whimpering of a wolf that was out loud and heard with Bella's ears, not her mind. It took Bella a moment to realize that the wolf whimpering was actually Cali herself.

 _Village. Now!_

The five wolves questioned nothing, and instead raced away. Bella didn't know if she was meant to go too, but thought that she should stay if Cali was injured.

 **What's wrong?** Bella asked.

 _The village is under attack. Come on!_

Once again they were running. Both pushing their bodies as fast as they could. Screaming, crying, blood, sweat, fear. The words used to identify the sounds and scents that Bella could make out. Trees splintering, grass tearing from the roots and bones breaking. Bella and Cali kept running. Right into the blood.

It was everywhere. Bella felt disgusted, horrified, scared. The wolf was calm, assessing and calculated. It thought of the next move, tried to identify the injured, the numbers, the weak points. Even as it stepped into the river of blood on the ground. Bella and Cali walked at a slower pace now, trying to assess the damage.

Huts on fire. Injured people. Dead people, mostly children. Blood. Grieving brothers, sisters, mothers, daughters, sons, fathers, and the like. Crying and screaming over lifeless, broken bodies. At the site, Bella's consciousness seemed to fight for dominance over the wolfs. Not on purpose, and not to fight.

But because Bella could see the damage. These people needed love, compassion, to grieve and cry and scream. They didn't need war, or tactics or fighting or blood. They didn't need the wolf, but they needed Bella. She could give them compassion; she could sympathize with their pain. She could help, but the wolf couldn't.

Inside, her and the wolf began to tussle for control until finally they seemed to merge as one. Taking different aspects of both personalities and melding them until they became the perfect consciousness that counteracted and complemented the positives and negatives of each personality.

Bella now looked at the villagers with new eyes. Eyes of the wolf. Her own eyes. The wolf strategy, and her compassion. The villagers were in a state of shock. When they looked at Cali and Bella passing, Bella knew she needed to look regal and in control as both the wolf and Bella. As Bella she wanted to hug and cry with them. As the wolf she wanted to simply walk on.

A man suddenly appeared before them, his face badly torn and coming away from his skull. He seemed more bothered with telling Cali what had happened than his own injuries, or his nudeness for that matter. "Cali, I am sorry. There was too many! They came in all directions. We tried to keep them back, but they got through our defenses."

The guard hung his head in shame. Cali didn't seem to want to be in wolf form anymore and instead shifted into human form. Bella followed her lead, feeling her consciousness snap like a rubber band pulled too tight until it fit back into 'Bella' and not the merging of Bella and the wolf, or the wolf on its own.

Cali hung her head as she shifted back and whispered, "this wasn't an attack. This was a sickening display of hatred, and cruelty. I want everyone, and everything ready. We must prepare. We have to retaliate."

The guard nodded his head and Bella cringed as his torn skin flapped away from his skull before settling back on his cheek bone. "I thought we could heal?" Bella asked him, pointing at the awful tear.

Cali answered for the man. "We do. But if we're attacked in human form, we do not heal."

Bella was about to tell Cali about the time she had fallen over and ripped the skin from her knee and then watched it heal itself, just before she found Lisa eating human flesh. But Cali was bothered by more pressing matters and said, "I have no right to ask… but will you stick around some more with me, Bella?"

Bella took a deep breath. She knew what Cali was asking. She wanted Bella to follow her into battle one more time. Bella barely knew Cali, or her pack, let alone had the care and respect needed to fight and die for them. But it wasn't Bella that Cali was asking, not really. It was the wolf inside, the other, and he, or she, or it, was willing. Always willing.

Bella finally nodded and simply asked, "when?"

Cali's face was nothing but grateful. "When we have the others. I will contact you. Give me three days."

"What others?" Bella asked.

"There are more of us," Cali answered. "When they hear of the attack, especially the children, they will join us."

Cali gave Bella some clothes to travel home in, which startled Bella when Cali asked her to come to the hut so she could provide them, as she had forgotten that she was naked, and that Cali was too. It seemed a petty thing to be embarrassed about. Her and these people shared a secret, a pack, a wolf, and a bond that was far more intimate than the human flesh.

As Bella neared home, desperate to see Kate and shower and get back to a tiny slice of normal, she spotted Lisa sitting on the stone wall outside. Covered in red. Blood. In her hair, on her skin, staining her clothes. On her mouth. Bella's stomach rolled with disbelief, with horror, with de ja vu, with revulsion.

Before Bella knew it she was running, and it was with the intent to kill. When she reached Lisa, her sister was ready and she swung a punch straight into Bella's shoulder, throwing her off her course and onto her ass on the ground. The punch had struck some of her chest, and Bella was taking large gulps of air from the surprise attack.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Lisa sing-songed.

Bella growled, bringing herself to her feet. "It was your idea wasn't it! Your idea just to target the kids."

Lisa smiled and her teeth were red. Bella thought she was going to be sick. Lisa giggled at the ashen skin tone that must have decorated Bella's face and taunted, "well I was feeling rather peckish, and they were quite yummy."

"You're one sick fuck!" Bella screeched, and hoped that no one in the house had heard her.

"Anyway, before I had lunch, I spent some bonding time with your bitch, Karol? Kat? Wait, was it Katie?"

Bella's heart kicked her ribs and her stomach tightened so hard she thought she was going to be sick. When she finally got the question out, it was desperate and winded: "what did you do?"

"Well I do hate to ruin a good game but I suppose you deserve a clue. Okay," she paused and pretended to debate before looking at Bella again and grinning. "I'd say you have… fifteen? Ten minutes, maybe? To save her life?" She ended the sentence with a giggle.

The world seemed to swim black and white for a moment and then it seemed to swim with just Kate's face, terrified as she bled to death or screamed for Bella's help. Oh God, I can't pass out! Bella bit her tongue to try and pull herself together, ignoring Lisa's giggles of delight.

"Where is she!?"

"In town. Near the library. Big, old looking place next to it. I think she found a wild animal there…" she trailed off, dragging out the agonizing torture. "Might have cut her up really bad." Lisa smirked. "Oh! I almost forgot," she giggled again like she was a ditzy blonde while Bella felt like her insides were coming out. "There may be faulty electrics. Perhaps a fire?"

Lisa laughed full throttle as Bella swung a punch at her smirking face. "Oh, Bella," she sighed dramatically, still smirking, still covered in the blood of children, holding Kate's life in her murderous hands. "You're just wasting time, aren't you? What's that now, twelve minutes to save her?"

With that, Lisa was gone.

 **AN: Thanks to LeighJ11 for being my beta.**


	12. Twelve

**AN: I don't own twilight!**

As the panic wormed its way through Bella's blood stream, forcing her heart to beat faster with the effort, so did adrenaline.

Twelve minutes on the clock.

Twelve minutes to save Kate.

Twelve minutes before her world ended.

She was still dressed in the clothes loaned to her by Cali, and so her shoes were a size too big. That meant running, combined with the rain, and slick paths made the urgency of the matter difficult to grasp on too. Running felt slow and Bella surprised herself as she wished for the first time that she could willingly change into a werewolf.

On paws, she would have been unstoppable.

On feet, she was clumsy and unpredictable.

Ten minutes.

Bella tore through the house, hoping to find someone to drive her into town. As she searched frantically through the lower floor, she tried to work up a story for needing to go into town right that second and to be dropped off as fast as possible. Searching proved futile and shouting if anyone was home didn't make any blonde or brunette heads pop out either.

All in all, the house was empty, despite the unlocked door. Time was running out, and Bella was wasting it trying to find help. She would have to find Kate herself. Bella flew out of the back door and into the large garden without knowing why. However, it seemed to be the right call to make, because she had just hit the jackpot.

The Denali's had set up their home in a spot that was perfect for seeing the town below. It was lit up like a Christmas tree as darkness began to blanket the town and so Bella had a breath taking view. Not the point. The point was that Bella could now formulate a plan. Although she could see clearly from the patio, climbing off it left her blind.

When she clambered down onto the grass, her view was taken by trees that bordered the whole garden. That meant that there had to be a way to town through the trees, which should also be faster than going down the dirt path out front. Bella raced to perimeter of the garden and pushed though the sharp branches and leaves.

Crap. A chain link fence that stretched six feet tall at least, most likely to keep people out, and beyond that: the drop down. The drop wouldn't have been so daunting if it was even ground below, but it wasn't. It was a downward slope that seemed to disappear into the night. There was no way Bella could jump and not fall.

At least she would be preparing for the fall this time, and it wouldn't take her by surprise like every other accident she had ever had. She would have to jump, tuck and roll until she reached the bottom, and then work out a way from there. Bella took a deep breath, dreading to think about the time that had passed already.

Bella wasted no more minutes and began to climb the fence, gripping tightly to the metal that sliced into the pads of her fingers. When she reached the top, she didn't stop to worry about the slope, she thought of Kate; bleeding, injured and waiting for her to turn up. She jumped. She tucked, prepared to roll.

That's when things went wrong. Of course. Bella didn't tuck in time, somehow ended up on her back and so instead of rolling down the hill, ended up sliding down it. Air sucked from her lungs and pushed her eyelids open so that she couldn't blink or scream. Out of nowhere a tree loomed and Bella rolled onto her side to avoid breaking her legs.

She didn't seem to be quick enough, because her shoulder caught the hard trunk as she did so and Bella finally managed to scream as the bone shattered from the assault. Dislocated or broken? Bella thought in a daze as she continued to slide. When she finally rolled to a stop and stood, Bella felt and most likely looked, like she had taken a battering.

How do I always find myself in these situations? She thought to herself. Her clothes were filthy and even torn in some places. Her shoulder felt awful but seemed to be healing. She should be worried: Cali had told her that a wolf didn't heal in their human form. But Bella had before, and was now.

But she didn't have time to puzzle the reason behind it. She had to get into town; she had to find Kate. Bella began her running once more, losing a shoe in the process and then kicking the other one off as it slowed her down. She knew the direction she was going in, because she could hear the cars on the road.

When she finally broke out of the tree line, she knew for certain that hers, and Kate's ten minutes were up. By the time she reached the place, she noticed smoke. Bella's heart tripled in speed, making her head swim as she pushed her body into action once more. She didn't have to look far inside the building for Kate.

The minute she got to the door, she saw through the tiny window: Kate curled up on the floor, coughing blood. Bella pounded the glass with her fists, calling Kate's name. She tried rattling the door and hurling rocks at the glass but it wouldn't shatter, and the door wouldn't budge, and Kate was dying.

Becoming desperate, Bella jogged around the back, her shoulder now as fluid as it had been before being injured, and found the doors there. Those didn't budge either, or give way from heavy force. Smoke was flowing out of the building now, which meant it wouldn't be long before the source of the fire wormed its way to Kate.

Why wasn't anyone showing up? Had no one noticed the smoke? Or smelt it? Bella scanned the area, her body shaking with fear when she finally noticed a wheelie bin. She clambered on top of it, nearly falling as it moved on its small wheels from her weight, and jumped several times until her palms caught the edge of the roof.

From there it was the process of trying to swing her leg onto the roof and pull herself up before she pushed the bin away with her other foot. Bella had hoped she would find some sort of latch to an emergency stair way or attic, or something, but instead there was just a plain glass window in the center of the roof, just to the right of where Kate was curled up.

Bella pried a tile up with her finger nails, gasping and clawing and screeching with the effort until it finally came away from the roof. Then she threw it through the glass. She heard Kate scream in surprise as her back was to Bella and she hadn't anticipated the screech of glass giving way. Sticking her head through the open space, Bella called, "Kate! It's me, I'm coming!"

Kate whimpered in response, and Bella's heart twisted. She had never heard Kate in pain, or seen her looking weak. Kate was a sherriff, a protector, and she did nothing but save and care for people. She had never been in this position before and it physically pained Bella that because of her, Kate had been reduced to a whimpering, screaming and injured mess.

Bella took a deep breath and plummeted from the hole, managing this time to tuck and roll along the bed of glass. A few shards pricked her, but none seemed to impale her and slide under her skin, which was helpful as she really didn't want her skin to heal over the shards for her to have to sit and cut them out later.

Bella slid over to Kate on her knees, turning Kate over onto her back. The moment she did, Bella gasped. Blood. So much. Staining the floor, her hair, her skin. How had Bella not seen all this? Her eyes pricked with tears at the site of Kate's throat which was covered with a shallow cut. Not enough to kill her, but a terribly injury all the same.

There seemed to be something wrong with her stomach too, because blood was staining the crisp shirt Bella had loved seeing her dress in this morning. It took Bella a moment of assessing Kate's injuries to realize why it was beginning to get hard to make her out. It was because the fire was spreading, and the smoke was thick.

Simultaneously her and Kate began to cough heavily. Panicking, Bella noticed there was a pad lock on the door. Getting up and inspecting it through the thick gloom, Bella tried to find something to break it open. Minutes passed by, letting the fire spread through the room and soak her skin with sweat from the flames.

When her search proved fruitless, and she couldn't go to the back doors because of the barricading flames, Bella looked to Kate, who was nearly unconscious and tried to work out how to tell the independent and strong sheriff that they were going to burn to death. It was looking at Kate that made Bella's eyes zero in on the gun in Kate's holster.

'Fuck sake, Bella!' She thought to herself, running to Kate and gently ripping the gun from its hold. Back at the door now, Bella aimed, screwed her eyes shut, turned her head and fired. Yes! It had indented it. A couple more. The rounds fired off and echoed around the walls until finally the pad lock fell with a hard thud.

Bella pushed the door open, letting in beautifully crisp and cool oxygen. Sirens rang through the night and Bella nearly cried with relief. Help was there! Thank God, she thought as she looked at Kate. If she didn't get help soon, then Kate was going to die. Bella ran back over to Kate, knowing she couldn't carry her.

Instead she hooked her arms under Kate's armpits and began to drag her out of the door. When they were both outside, Bella looked down at Kate's black and sooty face, noticing that beneath it she had passed out. Bella's heart pounded against her ribcage and she frantically searched for a pulse in Kate's neck.

It took a heart stopping few seconds, but Bella pinpointed a quiet, fluttering pulse. Finally, the sirens reached them as the windows in the building shattered from the impact of the fire. Bella realized she was crying and tried to resist the urge to shake Kate awake. If she woke her now, she would be bringing Kate back into a world of pain.

But by letting Kate stay passed out, was she letting her slowly die? Bella didn't know what to do and cried heavy sobs of relief when people began to clamber out of their vehicles and over to Bella and Kate. That was when Kate stopped breathing. Bella felt the shallow, heavy breaths stop and Kate's chest lock up with stillness.

Beneath her eyelids, Bella saw Kate's eyes roll into the back of her head. Bella began screaming. A whirlwind of events followed that. Someone took Kate from her, even though she screamed herself raw and cried a thousand tears between great, hiccupping sobs. A thousand different voices told her that she was going to be alright.

She had to force the words through her cries and screams: "I don't care about me, just help Kate!"

Which everyone ignored as they looked her over and shone lights in her eyes and told her she was in shock. It finally got to a point, as Kate was lifted into the back of the ambulance on a stretcher, crowded by at least three people and wearing an oxygen mask, that Bella seemed to have screamed herself blue, because she passed out.

When Bella awoke, her head was fuzzy, her eyes felt heavy and a numbing cold seemed to cover her entire body. When her eyes were open, she found that tubes were hooked into her arms, and attached to machines. Bella frowned in annoyance. This was over the top, wasn't it? She had only fainted for God sake! It wasn't like she was even injured.

Bella lifted her upper body, nearly tearing the tubes from her arms to sit upright and scanned her empty room. There was a chair with a coat over the back of it, and a tray with untouched food on her bedside table. Someone had been here, watching over for her while she slept and worrying about her.

"Kate?" Bella shouted at the door. "Hello?"

Bella wasn't left unanswered for long. A young, red headed nurse entered the room and began to fluff Bella's pillows and then push Bella back onto them before she even spoke. When the nurse was happy with where she had placed Bella against the pillows, she finally said, "how are you feeling?"

"Do you know where Kate is? The sheriff?" Bella asked instead.

The nurse began to straighten the blanket over Bella's legs as she answered, "Sheriff Denali is going to be okay. She had to have some emergency surgery, but she's recovering nicely."

Bella's heart fluttered with relief and the joyous feeling sang through her veins. She opened her mouth again, to ask who it had been sitting in the chair and watching over her, as she doubted it was any of the Denali's; they would all be with Kate, especially as Kate had gone through emergency surgery. Bella wasn't resentful, she was happy they were looking after Kate.

Before she could ask however, her door opened once more. A very over the top, and ecstatic, "Bella!" Was screeched and then Bella was being slammed into by a slim body. The scent hit her straight away, before Bella registered the blonde hair or the pretty green eyes. Bella had to bite her tongue as Lisa pulled away and revealed the two police officers behind her.

"I'm so glad you're awake, Bella!" Lisa's grin was wide and her eyes were earnest.

Bella tried not to scowl as the nurse excused herself and the police officers stepped forward, making it blaringly obvious that they wanted to question Bella. They soon proved this with a: "we're glad to see you awake. I know this is a little fast, but we were wondering if you could answer some questions. For instance: how did you come across the sherriff?"

Lisa's face swam before Bella's vision, her sly smirk hidden from the officers as she asked, "yes, Bella, how did you find the sheriff?"

Bella kept her face straight but on the inside she was furious. "Honestly, I think it was luck," she answered smoothly, and then elaborated: "I was on my way home, when it began to rain. I diverted into town as it was nearer than home to ask Tanya or Kate for a lift, as I knew they were both working-"

The first police man paused her and asked, "you were just going to ask for a lift? Not to be rude Miss Swan, but Kate Denali is the sheriff, and I believe her sister: Tanya, owns a book store. I also know they didn't attend work the day before the incident that took place yesterday, and so I'm sure they would have had a lot of work to do."

Bella raised an eyebrow at the accusation in the police officers tone and face. Her tone of voice was a little more pissed off because of it. "They took the day off to celebrate my birthday as I have absolutely no one left on this earth to celebrate it with, and then we celebrated the return of my sister, who had been missing for quite a while, officer."

Bella was surprised when Lisa played along and lay her hand on Bella's shoulder, as if swept up in remembering their joyous reunion. The police officer looked shamed and made a hand gesture for her to continue. "The book store was closed when I arrived, I don't know where Tanya was. That's when I smelt and saw smoke. I investigated. I found Kate. Luck."

The police officers scribbled everything Bella had said into their note books before thanking her and saying their goodbyes. Bella and Lisa were left alone and Bella turned her head sharply to Lisa, ready to cuss her until her skin peeled off from the assault, but Lisa beat her to the mark, and got her sly digs in as soon as she could.

"You shouldn't lie, Bella, it just comes back to haunt you," Lisa taunted.

Bella growled. "Should I have told them the truth then? That my psycho werewolf adoptive sister who I killed a while back is playing mind games and tried to kill my girlfriend?"

Bella flushed the moment, 'girlfriend' came from her mouth, because as far as she knew, Kate didn't even want to see her again. How could she? Not only did Bella first plague her with the death of her sister, but then said sister come back to life, and put her through excruciating pain, and left her with injuries that led to emergency surgery, and quite nearly the end of her life.

"I'm not your adoptive sister, I am your sister," Lisa answered coolly. "We're family, and you'll see that soon."

Bella gaped at her in astonishment. "You're actually nuts, aren't you?"

Slap. Lisa's palm connected with Bella's face, turning it sharply to the side and leaving a fire in its wake. Bella growled and tried to lunge from the bed, but she was held back by the wires and machines. Thank God she wasn't linked up to a heart monitor or there would be a whole flock of nurses in here.

"So, you managed to save your bit on the side. Congrats, Bella." Lisa clapped slowly, acting as if she hadn't just whacked Bella seven ways to Sunday. "I have something I know you'd love to hear," she whispered softly, settling into the chair besides Bella's bed.

Bella began to rip the tubes from her arms, not even whimpering as scores of flesh came away with the needles. Lisa eyed her actions warily, standing quickly from her chair. She held up one finger towards Bella, looking slightly panicked as she hurriedly said, "Ah, ah, ah! Let's not do anything rash now!"

Bella held the needle in her sweaty palm and raised it towards Lisa. "You have two second before I use this very sharp needle to slit your throat, and trust me, I know how to keep you down this time."

Lisa's eyes flashed with fear before she pulled a smirk back on her face. Despite the bravado, her voice shook with her next words: "I forgot to mention the bullet, that came from Kate's gun, and has Kate's prints on it, well, it's about to be discovered in about… an hour."

Bella snarled and raised the needle once more but Lisa jumped back, shoving the chair between her and Bella to keep herself safe. Bella could see the pulse pounding in her neck and decided that was where she was going to jam the needle and tear until Lisa bled to death. Screw the consequences.

"Bella! If you kill me now, you'll never know how to fix your little problem!"

"No more fucking games!" Bella shouted, pushing the chair into Lisa with the intent of pressing her against the wall.

"Hey! You and your whore started this game, Bella! I'm just playing it. The bullet will be found with mutilated bodies, and the bones of children. But you have a chance to fix it. They're at the old mines complex, nothing there but abandoned buildings and coal. It's away from the city, and private. Good luck."

Lisa started to shuffle away from the chair, her eyes and movements weary. Bella jumped on the chair, even clad in a hospital gown as she was, and intended to jump over the back and jam the needle into Lisa's neck on the come down. But then the door knob rattled and Bella dropped the needle in a panic and clambered off the chair just as it opened.

Lisa fled through the open door, whipping her coat off the back of the chair as she did so and left Bella to explain to the nurse why she was out of bed, why needles and tubes had been disconnected from her and why, despite the rough manner in which she had pulled them out, her arms were neither marked nor injured.

The nurse told her that now she was awake she wouldn't have to be hooked up to the machines again and handed her a bag that was apparently brought by Tanya when she brought an overnight one for Kate. The nurse went on to tell her that Bella could dress and wait while she sorted her discharge papers, and then she would be led to the Denali's, and Kate's room.

As soon as the nurse left, Bella fled into the cramped bathroom attached and had a quick wash. A quick investigation into her bag turned up fresh clothes, her hair and tooth brush and some spare bobbles and shoes. Once she was ready to go, she left the hospital gown and her bag on the bed, and debated on a way to escape without being seen.

Bella hated that she would have to run out on Kate, and the Denali's once again. But she knew that Kate would understand when she explained later on. She was doing this for Kate. But how to get out of the hospital? She couldn't wait to be discharged because it was too long and the Denali's wouldn't just let her stroll off with an excuse.

No, the front door wasn't an option. But was a window? Running back to the bathroom, Bella located the tiny window about the toilet and swore. She wasn't as lucky this time as it would be a struggle to get through this tiny slit. It took longer than she would have liked, but Bella finally got out of the window and onto the pavement below.

It was a bright and sunny day which made her feel slightly worse. How could the weather be so joyous when her life felt like a nightmare? Bella had no idea how to get the place that Lisa mentioned so she had to ask a few locals until one person was kind enough to draw her a quick and vague map.

It was better than nothing. First was the forest then a long, tiring hill that lasted for nearly twenty minutes and she was there. Bella was panicking, but a more rational part of her questioned Lisa's motivations. Why did she have an hour to sort this? Why was it in a place so close to the hospital? Why even offer her the chance to stop it? It was if Lisa wanted her to.

When she broke through the tree line, Bella gasped and fell back into it. The police were already there. Lisa had lied. Of course she had! She had made this mess! No wonder she had offered Bella a 'chance' she had wanted her to walk right into the crime scene and be arrested. Bella pressed her fingers into eyelids as her head swam.

She couldn't work out what Lisa wanted. Sometimes she acted like it was just Kate that needed to cut off and then she would have access to Bella, and therefore Bella could be her 'family' again, and then other times she tried to kill Bella, or have Bella killed, or even arrested for that matter. Lisa was truly psychotic. What did she want? She didn't seem to know herself.

Bella took a deep breath and tried to assess the situation. Three cars, and a van. She had to get that bullet, and then nothing else could link this to Kate, or her. But how could she do that? She couldn't just stroll in there, retrieve the bullet and stroll back out. She didn't even know where it was. Had Lisa left it on the floor? Pushed it into someone's skin? Bella shuddered.

As she shuddered, Bella remembered her spine rolling when she changed, and then the answer was obvious. She had to change. She needed to scare the police away, or at least be in some kind of disguise. Of course they would never think it was her if they saw a wolf. But so many things could go wrong with that plan.

They could shoot her in the head, and she would temporarily die, like Lisa had, making them aware of the supernatural in town. They could start keeping an eye out for wolves and end up killing some of her fellow pack. Not to mention that they were going to shoot at her anyway, because that was what humans did when they were scared.

Just because the injury healed quickly, didn't mean that it didn't hurt. Knowing she was going to walk into an onslaught of bullets wasn't something that was an easy decision to make for Bella. But she had to do it for Kate. Finally settling on the decision, Bella prayed that she could pull this off.

During all her training, Cali had gotten naked before her and therefore tempted the wolf within her with the body of willing mate. There was no one here now, and Bella's heart was racing, her head was pounding and she was scared stiff. What if visualizing wasn't enough? What if she couldn't change? Well then she was screwed.

But she had to try. Bella first stripped, and then screwed her eyes shut, picturing Kate. On the sofa, asleep. On the sofa, relaxed and baring the skin of her stomach. In bed, with Bella, their bodies entwined. In the shower, her naked limbs wet and glistening. Bella's stomach tightened and her mind exploded. Kate was the focus of everything, her name punching into Bella's brain.

Kate, Kate, Kate.

Bella opened her wolf eyes, smelled rotten bodies with her wolf nose. She followed the scent.

Kate.

She sent a silent apology to the heavens as she ran at the police officers, her large paws ready.

Kate.

The police were alert from her pounding paws. She took one down immediately.

Kate.

Bella used buildings for cover, listening to the men communicate: "guns at the ready, it could be a bear."

She hid her large body before launching herself at the group of three. She took them off guard. She used large teeth to throw one into the other and claws for the other one. Help arrived and started shooting at her. Bullets tore through her fur and muscle, digging down into her bone and ripping a howl from her muzzle.

Kate.

Healing hurt just as much as being shot, because the bullet wormed its way out of the entrance wound, as if coaxed by a magnet.

Kate.

Bella made quick work of the other officers. Teeth, claws, large paws and all her weight left a sprawl of bodies on the floor. Regret and remorse clouded her vision but it had to be done. The police couldn't be looking out for wolves and Bella had to get the bullet out of there to ensure Kate was safe.

Done with her wolf body, Bella shifted back into her human one, screaming in agony from the change. She had to take a moment to collect herself. Her body wasn't ready for another shifting so soon and it was letting her know it. When she was dressed again and no longer dizzy, Bella began her hunt for the bullet.

The next twenty minutes were something Bella never wanted to remember. Searching the dead bodies, the floor, the buildings and then repeating it all again until she was sure she hadn't missed it. The bullet wasn't there. Had the police already retained it? Bella left to check their vans and cars, and their bodies, when she heard a familiar and spine tingling laugh.

Lisa.

She ran. Lisa stood around the corner, laughing heartedly with a tall, tanned man with multiple scars on his face. When Lisa saw Bella, she grinned. "How good did that feel?"

Bella had to fight back tears. "The bullet was never here." It was a statement, not a question.

Lisa smirked. "Of course not. I didn't want the games to stop just yet."

"You wanted me to kill them," Bella realized and couldn't stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

The man beside Lisa laughed, as if Bella's horror and shock was hilarious. Lisa answered her: "of course. I proved that you're just like me: you're willing to kill for the ones you love, like I killed for you."

Bella's face twisted with disgust beneath her streaming tears, her chest heaving and throat rattling with repressed sobs. "And Kate? What was the motivation behind that?"

Lisa shrugged and make a 'psh' noise with her lips. "That was just fun. I enjoyed it, like I know your wolf enjoyed killing those men."

Bella heaved at the horror of the situation and Lisa rolled her eyes as if Bella was being entirely dramatic. She didn't know what to do now, she couldn't stay and look at all these people she had killed. She couldn't run, the guilt would follow her. Lisa stole her attention when she caught site of something over Bella's shoulder, and then suddenly started laughing.

"Right on time," she forced out through stomach clenching laughter.

Bella turned her head in confusion and felt the blood drain from her face. Wrapped in bandages, white as a ghost, eyes wide with horror and hand pressed to her mouth in disgust.

Kate.

 **AN: Thanks to LeighJ11 for being my beta.**


	13. Thirteen

Kate.

Staring at Bella with disgust and shock painting her beautiful features. Bella's eyes flickered to Kate's hand grasping tightly to her bandaged side and then back to her wide, watering eyes. Her mouth opened and closed as she grasped for something to say, but there was nothing that could be said. Bella had killed people, and Kate knew it.

Oh God. What if they had been Kate's colleagues? Or even her friends? Bella felt sick. Kate was never going to forgive her. Bella's mouth opened and closed in a mirror image to Kate's, still trying to find something to say that could even begin to compensate for how remorseful and sorry she felt.

"Shall we just leave you two love birds to it?" Lisa giggled.

Bella's back was to her, but Lisa's taunting voice was enough to make her eyes water and her hands clench tight with boiling hot anger. Finally, words seem to form between Bella's lips and she gasped them out as fast she could: "Kate, I can explain!"

"I can't even believe that you have the words, or the ability to explain this!" Kate hissed and turned away sharply, her head bowing with grief and shoulders tightening.

Bella's stomach rolled with revulsion for herself, which only seemed to get worse as Kate whispered, "they were my friends. People I knew, and have worked with for years. I know all of their families, their kids, their husbands, their wives, even their pets, Bella! I _know_ these people! And you've just slaughtered them!"

Kate finished her screaming by whirling around, still grasping her stomach and staring at Bella with wide, disappointed, horrified and grief stricken eyes. Bella swallowed thickly, trying not to think of the families she had torn apart, of the husbands and wives and kids, and even dogs that would be waiting for their partner or parent or pet to walk through the door tonight.

Bella's eyes finally watered enough for tears to roll down her cheeks. "Kate, please, let me explain. It was Lisa! I was stupid enough to believe… she said tha-"

Kate shook her head sharply. "I don't want to hear it!" Her voice trembled as she shouted, but Bella talked over the top of her. "She said you would be in trouble, and that she had planted the bullet. Please believe me: they attacked me! I didn't mean to kill them, just immobilize them, but I was so focused on you and it all got out of hand, and I was in my wolf form and I didn't want to put the wolves at risk and-"

"I don't care who you were trying to protect, Bella. Me, the wolves, yourself - I don't care. You killed innocent people. You're as bad… no," she laughed sharply, the sound so harsh and full of anger that it twisted Bella's insides. "You're worse than Lisa. At least she takes responsibility for her actions. You just try and blame everyone else."

"Kate, it wasn't like that. I didn't want to kill them!"

"But you did," Kate stated bluntly. Then she continued with: "and how could you even be so stupid as to believe her about the bullet? She needs to keep hold of it, or she's got no leverage, has she?"

"I don't know what to say," Bella whispered.

Kate sighed harshly through her nose. "Just stop talking, Bella. I signed your discharge sheet. I just need you to leave me alone."

Before Bella could object to this, or continue to stumble over her words and try to form some sort of explanation, Kate had begun to walk away.

Bella let her.

Nearly a week later and Bella was locked up in her room once more. The Denali's had been trying to persuade her to come and join them in at meals, but Bella was making it clear that she didn't want to. Sometimes she hoped they would send her away so that she could stop hurting Kate, and bringing danger to them, and other times the thought made her feel sick.

Tanya had suggested working at the book store to get her out of the house but Bella declined and said she wasn't ready to be in public. She felt guilty every time, because she had been with the Denali's for weeks and even if she wasn't taking money directly off them, she wasn't contributing to anything she used either: food, heat, the bed she slept in, or water.

She hadn't spoken to Kate since that awful day and couldn't bring herself to do it either. Especially not when it was announced on the news that a large animal, unidentified, had slaughtered multiple police officers on a call out. She had the unfortunate pleasure of being in the living room when the Denali's saw it on the news.

Kate had given Bella the worst look Bella had ever seen grace someone's face. Grief and betrayal, hurt and anger. But worst of all was the fear. After all, Bella was a killer in Kate's eyes. What would stop her from killing Kate's whole family while they slept? What would stop Bella from joining Lisa and killing anyone they wanted?

Maybe the worst part of the week was having all of the dead officer's family come to the Denali's house to speak to Kate and seek solace in her arms and her words, because she was the sherriff, and she made this whole town feel safe and secure. Bella couldn't even look at them, instead she ran to her room and cried into her pillow.

Things got progressively worse as the days went by. There were no words from Kate, no comfort from the Denali's and not even Cali had tried to get in touch with her. Bella didn't want to go to the wolf camp incase Cali had heard about Bella killing the officers and turned her away from the pack. There was only so much rejection she could take.

It was nearly six in the evening on Wednesday and Bella was alone in the Denali's. Everyone was at work or on their way back, and Bella was stuck in her room once more because she didn't want to face anyone when they got back. Boredom wasn't helping her loneliness. She had already browsed the library and lounged in the den, and she wasn't in the mood for the hot tub.

For the past couple of hours, she had debated going to Cali, just to determine if she had heard, and get it over with. If Cali was going disown her, and remove her from the pack, then Bella would rather that it was done with. She finally decided she was going after weighing the pros and cons and retrieved a coat and her shoes.

Bella searched the hooks by the front door and selected a pair of spare keys that Tanya had previously joked would be hers now and used them to lock the front door behind her. The walk to the pack was cold and stressful, but when she finally did reach the camp, it was busy. No one paid her any attention as she sought of Cali's hut.

Bella's heart was racing when as she located Cali and briskly walked up to her. Surprisingly, the blonde woman seemed relieved when she caught sight of Bella. As Cali turned her head to smile at her, Bella's stomach took a nose dive. She had a fresh scar on her neck. It was raw and bright red, very deep, infected and extremely painful.

"What happened?!" Bella demanded.

Cali simply shook her head, although she grimaced after. "That doesn't matter right now. What matters is that you're here! We must begin preparations." Cali grasped Bella's arm and dragged her inside the hut.

When they reached the dining room, Bella noticed a large, fairly skilled hand drawn map was laid out across the dark wood. Four people stood around it with hunched necks and shoulders, and bent elbows to get a closer look. They noticed Bella and Cali's arrive and moved out the way immediately, leaving room for Bella to get a good look.

As Bella looked over the map, drawn with varying light and dark grey pencil strokes, she noticed small pins impaled at various places in different colors: blue, red, green and yellow. Cali noticed Bella looking at them and not understanding their use, or significance and began to point them out as she explained.

"This is where we cut them off. One team will hit them from the back so that they can't escape." She informed Bella as she pointed at the red pin. She then moved on to the blue one. "This is our team, which will split into two. We'll hit them from both sides. Bella, you'll be grouped with me." Cali moved her long finger and tapped the green pin with an oval nail. "These will attack from the front and these," she moved her finger to the yellow pin. "Will join us after the first wave. Make no mistake: they're preparing for our assault, and they know we're coming."

Bella nodded, ready for a battle. She had nothing to lose. No family, no Kate, no new family with the Denali's and perhaps soon enough, she would have no home with the Denali's either. All she had left was the pack, and Cali. She could devote herself: her mind, her body and her life, to these wolves.

"Okay, so when do we attack?" She asked.

Cali glanced at her between a thick curtain of her blonde hair. She had a large, proud smile on her face. "In the cover of darkness. Tonight."

"I see," Bella mumbled softly.

Cali raised the one eyebrow that was not paralyzed and asked: "are you nervous, Bella?"

Bella shook her head. "No. I'm prepared to die, for the pack, if I have to. But I haven't said bye, or thank you, even I'm sorry to Kate, and the Denali's: my… family."

Cali smiled softly. "We're your family too, Bella."

Bella took a deep breath and nodded in agreement. "I know."

Cali reached over and rubbed between Bella's shoulder blades. "I understand, you know. We heard what happened."

Bella cringed, the shame nearly suffocating her and her eyes pricking with tears. Cali continued to whisper softly, "no one judges you, Bella. You made a decision because you were trying to look after your family, and the girl you love. Many of us have, and would do the same."

Bella flushed. "I don't love her; I haven't known her long enough."

Cali stepped back and looked closely at Bella. "Not yet maybe, but you're well on your way, aren't you?" Without waiting for a reply, she said, "why don't you go home, and say goodbye? That is, if it is goodbye."

Bella sighed softly. "She didn't come home last night, I think she stayed at her sister's club, but I have no idea where it is."

Cali grinned as much as she was able. "Centre of town, near a woodland shop. Trust me, we don't have many clubs here."

Bella thanked her before walking at a brisk jog through the village and running through the trees, past the Denali's home and into town. She roughly knew the shop that Cali mentioned so she tried to locate it from memory through the drizzling rain. After crossing a street and raising her hood to block the rain, Bella located the shop.

A curios glance inside displayed beautifully hand crafted furniture and ornaments. Bella slipped down the small alley on the side, hunting around back for the entrance to the club that was on off to the side of the shop. Bella came to the thick double doors, painted black with small red handles and a rapped a quick knock with her fist.

While she waited in nervous silence, she removed her hair from its sloppy bun and smoothed it over her shoulders, feeling the brown ends fall over her shoulders and curl right down to her back. She really needed a cut and re-shape. Bella jumped, startled from her random thought as the doors opened with a wrenching noise so loud her ears popped.

A large, bulky man stood on the other side and immediately stated, "we're closed."

"I'm here to see Sherriff Denali," Bella answered.

The man heaved a great sigh as if he couldn't be bothered for her, or who she needed to see. Instead of scowling or moaning, he simply said, "wait here," and closed the doors again.

Bella only had to wait a few more seconds as the rain got heavier for the doors to open again. She expected the bulky man to tell her to buzz off, Kate didn't want to talk to her and they "weren't open," but she was surprised when Irina stood on the other side. She looked very profession and attractive.

Her blonde hair was curled and half pinned up and half left to drift over her shoulders, her make-up was bold with smokey eyes, contoured skin, stark red lips and thick eyeliner, and she was dressed in a tight, red pencil skirt that looked to be leather and an equally tight shirt tucked into the skirt. Bella wondered how in the hell Irina was managing to breath.

"Hi, Bella! What are you doing here?"

"Here to see Kate," Bella answered, flushing red.

Irina raised an eyebrow, her arms folding over her chest while Bella wondered how a button didn't pop and fly away from her shirt. "Why is that?"

"It's important," Bella diverted, biting her lower lip.

Irina narrowed her eyes slightly before uncrossing her arms and gesturing Bella inside. Once through the door and into the darkness, Irina closed the doors behind them and gestured to the stairs. "Kate's up there. Room 33."

Bella nodded and Irina disappeared, murmuring things about her office and paper work. Bella made her way up the stairs, glancing over the black décor. It was very red and black, sinful and lace but otherwise clean and comfortable. As Bella got closer to Kate, her heart started racing. She didn't really know what to say. What do you say when you might die?

So engrossed with her own thoughts, Bella walked straight into the door Kate was behind, loudly announcing her arrival. She rubbed her nose briskly and pushed open the door. It seemed silly to politely knock now that she had just walked right into the solid frame. Kate was just muttering, "walk right in," sarcastically when she noticed Bella.

Bella eyes landed on Kate and her chest seemed to light on fire. The blonde was lounging on a small couch, flipping through a magazine and wrapped up in a towel with another wrapped around her head. Bella's eyes were staring at her smooth, long legs but then caught sight of some stitches.

Kate noticed because she stopped lounging, put down the magazine and sat up, all at the same time as she cried, "Bella!"

Bella smiled awkwardly, still unsure of her wording and now thrown off kilter from her mix of emotions. "Hi, Kate. How are you feeling?"

"Better," Kate answered smoothly. Too smoothly. "What brings you here?" She asked.

"I just came to see you," Bella muttered, evading. "I was worried."

"Okay…"

"No." Bella shook her head at herself and took a deep breath, looking Kate in the eyes. "That's not really what I came here for."

"Okay?" Kate looked perplexed but intrigued and her exposed skin flushed pink.

"I came to ask… to beg, for your forgiveness. I know it's not easy. What I did was disgusting but I am so, _so_ sorry. But I also want to thank you."

"Bella…" Kate whispered softly, looking nervous and unsure of what to say, or how to respond.

Bella shook her head again, cutting her off. "Let me finish… I want to thank you for what you did for me. Both you, and your family. You took me in, and gave me a home. You kept my secrets, you lied for me, you burdened yourself and made me feel cared for. I haven't felt like that in a really long time."

"Where is all this coming from?" Kate asked, her eyes now worried and tense.

"There's a… fight tonight, with the pack. I might not be coming back."

Kate suddenly shot to her feet, surprising Bella into stepping back. Kate winced at her sudden movement, most likely due to pulling stitches and Bella took a step forward again, reaching her hand out before letting it fall back to her side. "Careful," Bella whispered.

Kate ignored her, her cheeks now pink and her eyes dark and angry. "Not coming back? Are you leaving?"

"No, I wouldn't do that. I'll only leave if you don't me around anymore," Bella answered honestly.

"Then what?" Kate demanded. "Are you going to die?"

Bella shrugged uncomfortably. "It's a possibility."

"A possibility?!" Kate repeated with disbelief, several octaves higher than Bella had said it. She then carried on in a loud voice, "fuck me, Bella! Why are you doing this? Why do you want to die for a bunch of wolves?"

"Shh!" Bella hissed, pressing a finger to her own lips and looking at the door before looking back to Kate. "Keep your voice down," she warned.

Kate's lips pressed together tightly as she stared at Bella with hot, shimmering eyes and an expression that Bella found equal parts terrifying and arousing. "You know why," she answered into the silence. "This has to end. It's time to get rid of Lisa, and I'm the only one that can do it."

"So this is goodbye?" Kate whispered.

Bella's heart stumbled and tripled in speed within a nano second. "Yes, this is goodbye."

 **AN: Thanks to my beta LeighJ11. This chapter is short and not a lot happens but the next one will be full of action!**


	14. Fourteen

"Goodbye?" Kate repeated thickly, as if she were holding back heaving sobs and a bucket of tears.

Bella's chest tightened sharply. "For now. But if I thought… if I had something to come home too, then I would try…"

Kate scoffed and grabbed Bella to her tightly, pressing her face into Bella's neck. "Of course you have me to come home to. Me, and my family."

"But your family don't know about us," Bella murmured into Kate's shoulder, tasting and smelling her skin as she did so.

Kate pulled back softly and then tugged Bella down on to the sofa beside her. "Irina knows. We spoke when I stayed here last night."

Bella flushed, remembering the way Irina had folded her arms and looked Bella up and down not ten minutes ago when she had shown up at the club doors, demanding to see Kate.

"Awkward," Bella muttered.

"I didn't tell her everything," Kate reassured. "They're our secrets, not anybody else's. Nothing supernatural was mentioned, but I did tell her that we had… slept together and that I have feelings for you."

Bella couldn't suppress her smile. "I have feelings for you too."

Kate rolled her eyes. "I know, Bella."

Bella felt shy and hesitant inside, still unsure of whether Kate truly forgave her, or if she would live tonight, or if the Denali's would accept them, or if they would ever work, but her outer body ignored all of these doubts and questions turning her insides into goo. Instead, Bella leaned forward and pressed her lips to Kate's with hot desperation.

The moment their lips touched, Kate pressed herself forward, kissing Bella back and slid into Bella's lap, her hands tangling in Bella's hair and hips moving against Bella's. Before Bella was even aware of it, Kate's hands were sliding out of her hair and down her clothes, greedily trying to tear them off.

They broke apart for just a moment to stare at each other with sparkling eyes, swollen lips and heaving chests before they crashed back into each other, taking away towels and tops, pants and bras and any other piece of material in their way. Kate leaned back naked and wanting, her body open and inviting with her eyes shining as she stared at Bella.

"Now," she demanded.

A little while later and Bella was exhausted. Too exhausted to go and fight to what could be her death. She was just sliding her shoes back on when Kate moved across the sofa and pressed her warm hand to Bella's lower back, gently kneading her spine. Bella's top was around her ribs so she could feel Kate's bare hand and then lips across her hips.

"Promise me you'll come back," Kate whispered into her skin.

Bella paused, enjoying the moment and sighing deeply. "I promise that I'll try."

"I mean it Bella, no matter what happens. You come back." Kate's voice trembled as did her lips against Bella's skin.

Bella turned and looked over her shoulder, staring at the beautiful woman behind her, barely dressed and golden skinned. She thought back to just a few moments ago as she held Kate in her arms, sifting her golden hair through her fingers and talked about their life after this fight. Kate wanted them to have their own home and help Bella learn what she loved.

Bella had reminded her that she only loved her.

"I don't want to make promises I can't keep," Bella finally answered as she stood and pulled her top down, grabbing her coat and putting it on too. "I'll fight until the death to get back to your side, but whatever happens…" Bella paused and looked at Kate seriously. "Never look for me."

Kate's eyes watered, turning their orange hue a deep, stunning color that Bella would love to draw and paint with excruciating detail if she had the ability. Bella opened her mouth, prepared to promise if it meant that Kate would stop crying, no matter how beautiful her eyes looked when she did. But Kate beat her to it and she whispered, "goodbye, Bella."

Bella turned her head, unable to walk away if she continued to look at Kate and practically flung herself out of the door because her body was telling her to stay. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, Irina was leaving her office and smirked at the sight of Bella. "I thought you left. You've been here a while. Surely a chat doesn't take that long?"

Bella stuffed her hands in her jeans. Being teased for sleeping with Kate was such a trivial, ordinary thing and she needed to get to the pack. Anything could have happened by now, and she had promised her life to them. "Yeah, I suppose."

"Hmm," was all Irina replied before she said, "see you later then?"

Bella nodded with a quick smile. "'Course."

She finally exited the doors, nearly running into the security guard who had been annoyed with her earlier. He was in a dark corner, brooding by the looks of it as she puffed on a strong cigarette. Bella smiled at him, because no matter how much of a douche he was, that may have been the last smile she could offer to the world.

As Bella raced back the way she had come, down the alley and past the woodland shop, up the slope and through town, down the dirt path to the Denali's and into the woods, her stomach got tighter. Tonight could be her last night on earth, and she was only nineteen years old. It was big responsibility, to die for others. She was scared, but fearless all at once.

When Bella entered the camp, the rocks were broken through the middle in order to hold a hand crafted torch that was blazing with hot, orange light. In the very center of the green, lighting up the night was what looked to be the whole of pack holding up their own hand made torches towards the sky and standing in silence.

Confused, Bella etched her way towards the group and hunted with her eyes for Cali in the group of people. When she spotted her, she moved to stand beside her silently. Cali smiled at her arrival but spoke to the group when she said, "tonight, my pack, we remember our dead, our past, and honor what we have to do, to secure our future."

Bella took a deep breath and let her eyes fall closed. She remembered her dead: her parents, many friends, her bully and beloved pets that had died around her. She remembered her past: her abusive adoptive parents, the loving sister she thought she had in Lisa and what little she remembered of her small, loving home on a quiet street.

Then she honored what she would have to do tonight, who she would have to kill tonight, in order to secure her future and keep her promise to Kate. She thought of the Denali's and their large, extravagant home. She thought of Kate: golden, beautiful, laughing Kate in bed and smiling up at her.

Her mind took her back to the Denali's. She thought of Irina's teasing, of Tanya's love for books, of Carmen's motherly love for anyone, and everyone, of Eleazer's dark eyes, wise beyond their years. She thought of the library, covered in Tanya's beloved books, of the kitchen, brimming with Carmen's cooking, of the discarded shirts found all over the house from Irina's lovers.

When she opened her eyes, Cali looked hard at her and searched for something in Bella's eyes. Perhaps fear, perhaps bravery. Bella was just a bit of both, a bit of everything. She had a life worth living. She had people she loved, people she wanted to love for many years. She had a home and friends, family and foes. She was a person, a life, a soul. She was Bella.

Cali smiled wide, and nodded as if in confirmation of what she found in the depths of Bella's brown eyes. When she spoke again, it seemed to hold stronger validation and meaning, her voice vibrated with truth and confidence. It made Bella's heart speed up and her skin quiver. The wolf recognized it's Alpha and understood that it's Alpha would lead them to victory.

"We know our enemy, and why they have to go away forever. Our children's children _will not_ be safe! We ourselves, will not be safe. Tonight may be the end for some, but it will be the end of our decade long war. Tonight, we celebrate victory!"

The moment the last word passed Cali's scarred lips, there was a loud, inhumane roar from the pack. Clapping and hooting, hollering and celebrations, as if the fight was already won. But that was the beauty of Cali, and believing in your Alpha; trusting them. To the wolves, the fight was already over.

"Who's with me!?" Cali demanded.

Another round of shouting and hollering soared over the pack as they shoved their torches in the air. A great gust of wind took residence over them and swiped out all the lights at once. To Bella it seemed foreboding but no one else seemed to feel that way because they continued to shout their confidence while discarding their now burnt out torches.

Cali turned to Bella in the darkness, now barely illuminated and asked, "are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Bella replied confidently.

Cali patted her on the shoulder. "Good. Now stick with me." To everyone else she shouted: "positions!"

Bella's emotions seemed to slide and flip, unable to decide which one to settle on as her skin tingled and her heart raced with fear and adrenaline. Cali stripped, as did everyone else in the pack and the sea of willing bodies allowed Bella to let heat wash over her, and let her wolf out of her skin.

It seemed to take an age to reach their destination under the cover of darkness and in multiple, small groups. Bella was slightly annoyed with herself for not asking where they would be fighting, or what their plan of action was, since she couldn't remember half of what Cali had said in the de – briefing. It seemed stupid that if she died, she wouldn't even know the location.

Bella knew when they finally did reach their desired place, because every wolf stopped and forced themselves to be dead silent, although Bella thought their snuffling and panting was a large give away to their hiding spot behind bushes and trees. Cali sniffed the ground a few times before lifting her white head that seemed to glow in the darkness.

 **No wolves. Five guards. Three lights. Two warning horns. We must do this silently.**

Bella heard the orders and assumed the other did too because there seemed to be a shuffling of agreement.

 **Split up. Two, two and three. Circle, then strike. Johnstone and Mimi, get the bows. Take out the two on the tower. Then take out the rest on the ground.**

Two grey wolves followed this order and disappeared from the group, slinking off into the shadows silently.

 _Bows?_ Bella repeated _. As in, bow and arrows?_

Her 'question' was ignored as Cali demanded: **get behind me, Bella. The rest of you: to the left and right. Don't get caught.**

Bella did as she was instructed, staying positioned behind Cali as they tried to spy through the bush they were hidden behind for cover. Bella noticed two men, armed with knives and guns standing atop a small bridge that looked over the forest underneath where all the wolves were hiding. Under them were three more men, all with their backs to each other.

 **One.**

Bella sank back, preparing to spring.

 **Two.**

She snarled, baring her teeth and releasing her claws.

 **Three!**

Bella and Cali rocketed from their positioned and three arrows sailed through the air, skewering the two men on top of the bridge. One of them received an arrow in the heart, ending him straight away but the other received one in the thigh before another pierced his eye ball, sending him tumbling off the bridge.

Cali and the others disposed of the three men on the ground. They were such easy pickings that Bella didn't get a look in, and instead had to pace and snarl with adrenaline. When they were dead, Cali rounded on Bella.

 **Focus! We won't win this fight with you standing and watching. Keep up.**

Bella was equally annoyed and guilty so she snarled her displeasure and acceptance. She instead used her hind legs to propel herself after the other racing wolves. Up ahead was another group of wolves: nine of them sitting and waiting. The leader nodded to Cali.

 _Lookouts?_

Cali nodded back. **Yes, what do we know?**

The wolf talking with Cali looked past her and through the trees behind them. Bella could smell something rotten but kept her attention on the wolfs next set of words: _plenty of them in there. They have wolf lookouts. There's no way we're getting in there undetected._

Cali thought this over, not even disturbed by the loud and agonizing wail that came from up ahead followed with snarling. She finally settled on: **we knew it was a fight, so let's fight. Move out!**

In a tightly knit group Cali and her wolves moved into the camp, storming through and thirsting for blood. The camp was small, but filled to the brim with wolves. More wolves that what Cali had. They were all split and ready to fight. The fighting happened immediately, and so fast that Bella couldn't determine who had made the first move.

Bella followed everyone else's example. The sooner this was over, the better and she only really had one target anyway: Lisa. A silver wolf tried to attack her and managed to evade and dodge all of her counter attacks. It managed to get its claws in Bella's skin a few times but she pushed past the pain and threw her weight against the beast.

The wolf lost his or her footing and Bella sank her sharp claws into it viciously. She used them to tear muscle and destroy veins so that the wolf was a bleeding mess of meat by the time that she was finished with it. As the light drained from the wolfs eyes and it began to transform back into a human, Bella caught sight of Cali being chased by a black wolf.

As Bella got close enough to help she saw it was the very wolf who had threated her before. The wolf inside remembered the threat and before conscious decision told her to, Bella was taking a large brown wolf between her teeth and using it with a powerful head swing to chuck it into the black wolf, taking it down.

Cali noticed this and howled her approval to the sky before viciously attacking the now fallen wolf. Bella kept running, her paws flying faster the more she ran and didn't stop. She ended up knocking down a tent reeking of blood and passing through the forest, circling a roaring fire before finding herself in another area full of bodies and bleached bones.

 ** _Bella._**

Bella came to a crashing stop and whipped around to face her.

 _Lisa._

Bella didn't know how Lisa's voice had been allowed in her head without her bowing her own head to accept the connection, but it was a trivial thought. This could all end now. They seemed to run at each other simultaneously with teeth and claws already prepared. They both rose on their hind legs and sunk their claws into each other's muscles with howls of agony and anger.

Their teeth rubbed together as they both tried to bite into the other, and tore at each other's muscles to try and release their claws and get another blow in. Lisa got her claws free first, using them, now covered in Bella's blood to tear into Bella's side and pull so that Bella's skin split.

Bella made a sound that would have been a gasp of surprise had she been human, because it wasn't pain that she felt in that moment. It was anger. Lisa was reminding her. She was tearing her sides open because she was reminding Bella of the pain she had suffered that night in the forest where she had hurt herself so much she needed stitches.

Lisa was taunting her. The thought made something in Bella explode. She _hated_ Lisa. Hated her so much that her vision swam and tinted red with the need to eradicate her. Bella removed her claws before digging them into Lisa's left eye. Her sister let out an awful sound, falling back in agony and trying to keep her balance with blood pouring from her eye socket.

Bella howled in triumph and turned her head to the sky before bending it again to ram it into Lisa's wobbling frame. As Lisa crashed to the floor, Bella dug her teeth and claws into her sides and shoulder, using all her power and hate and anger to tear Lisa apart. It was nearly over, Bella could tell. Lisa was dying.

Until she wasn't. Unexpectedly Lisa heaved her large body, throwing Bella's weight from her and crashing into a tree trunk. Before Bella could try and stand, Lisa was biting onto her leg and ravaging it to the bone. Another reminder. Of the night Bella had let Kate's bullet fly and embed into Lisa's forehead.

As Bella tore her hind leg free from Lisa's muzzle, Lisa's teeth dragged down through the fur and muscle, cutting into Bella's paw and splitting her toes. Bella howled and pounded her front paws on the ground in agony, trying to keep her vision from swimming and hold onto the anger instead of the pain.

Still lay on the floor, trying to wait out her healing, Bella prepared herself for Lisa's killing blow. But it didn't come. Instead she watched Lisa race off to join another wolf, one that she bumped wet noses with covered in blood. Her mate. Coward. She couldn't even finish Bella off. It was with this thought that another wolf pounced on her back.

The move was so unexpected that Bella's whole frame collapsed, the wind knocked out of her. The wolf wasted no time. It wasn't a coward like Lisa, it wanted Bella dead. It's large muzzle bit into Bella's spinal cord, determined to sever it to the point that Bella's head fell off, or her neck snapped. Whichever came first.

Bella had no fight, no power, no strength and no help. She would die here. She thought of Kate, waiting in the club for her to come home. She thought of the bouncer she had smiled at, because she thought it was her last smile. She was wrong. Her last smile would be the one happening right now, gracing her blood soaked mullet as she thought of Kate.

What a beautiful way to die, Bella thought, thinking of the one person who has made your life into something you thought it could never be. Darkness was coming in now and the wolf on top of Bella was becoming more frenzied. Her head was nearly off, she could tell. She was completely numb, which meant she was successfully paralyzed.

Blackness hung over Bella's eyes and she let them slide closed. Until it eased. Bella's eyes opened in surprise, her body still paralyzed as her spinal cord fought to heal itself. She could just see from the corner of her eye, Lisa tearing the wolf apart, using her claws to slice its head straight from its shoulders.

Am I already dead? Or hallucinating? Bella thought to herself, dazed. Still unable to move, Bella watched as Lisa not only killed the wolf who had tried to kill Bella, or had, for all Bella knew, but moved to help Cali who had moved over to Bella as she kept fighting. Lisa took down the dark brown wolf fighting with Cali within seconds.

Finally, Bella could feel movement and she was trying with all her might to get up before Lisa tried to kill Cali. As Bella stumbled to her feet, another wolf pummeled into Lisa, snarling with what seemed to be disapproval move than anger. Bella recognized it to be Lisa's mate, the one she had rubbed noses with earlier.

Then it was obvious. Lisa was a coward, or she was too into her mind games. She wouldn't kill Bella tonight, and she wouldn't let anyone else do it. Bella thought that tonight would be the night she died, but in reality, she was the most protected wolf here. Because Lisa wanted her to feel pain, enough to break her. Enough to turn her into the sister Bella wanted.

So that left one thing. While Lisa and her mate snarled at each other, Bella signaled Cali, who was catching her breath. Cali nodded her large head and they both ran at the snarling couple. Cali took down Lisa's mate while Bella pounced on Lisa, keeping her alive. She pressed her paw onto Lisa's large head, forcing her to watch as Cali took her mates head off.

Lisa went still beneath Bella the moment that her mate was gone and suddenly there was a human beneath Bella's body. A human screaming and sobbing, howling with an anguish so strong that Bella's heart hurt. She removed herself from Lisa who stared at her now human mate where his body lay just a few inches behind his head.

Bella found herself transforming too, until she stood in her naked human form before Lisa. Cali's hand touched Bella's shoulder and her lips touched Bella's ear as she whispered: "now."

Bella looked down upon Lisa who now seemed to have shriveled in her own skin with the loss of her mate. Her skin was white, her head lank and her body curled from the agony she was enduring. Her eyes were flowing with tears, her chin wobbling and her nose streaming with snot as she sobbed her anguish.

Bella's heart hurt, heavy and hard. This would be the worst thing she would ever have to do, and the worst thing she had ever done to a person. She couldn't imagine what it would be like, held helpless and hopeless and she watched someone tear Kate's head from her shoulders. As she watched she woman she loved die.

Bella almost felt guilty and only managed to hold on to her resolve as she remembered the dead children, the dead people, the families missing their parents and children, aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers because of Lisa, and her pack. She thought of her own parents, of the people that had died at Lisa's hands and she knew that Lisa had to die.

Lisa looked up as Bella crouched before her and took a great, hiccupping sob. "I'm proud of you. Do it."

"I still love you, even after how much I hate you. In the next life, maybe," Bella whispered.

Bella's hand curled into a fist and then she punched it through Lisa's chest. Lisa gasped, her skin turning ashen as Bella's hand opened inside her body, taking Lisa's thumping heart in her hand. Lisa closed her eyes, her face wet and miserable but a smile still curling her lips and forever staying there as Bella pulled her heart from its strings and through her chest.

It was light by the time Bella got back to the village. She helped clean up the battle field and burn the dead with the pack, including Lisa. When Bella put Lisa on the fire heap, she noticed something melting into her sister's neck and it took her a moment to realize that it was the metal from the bullet on a chain.

Bella did cry, because she had meant what she said: she still loved Lisa, even with all the hurt and death she had caused. That was why she could kill her. Because the love for her over powered the hate and it wasn't from anger that Lisa had died but instead enough love inside Bella to understand the threat that needed to be removed.

Later, Cali asked her to speak with her in her dining room and Bella agreed, because she was tired and needed to sit down for two minutes. As soon as they were in there, Cali hugged her and let Bella cry some more. They were great heaving sobs for a girl she wished was still real and not the lie she burnt.

Cali sat her down and got her a hot mug of chocolate before saying, "thank you so much, Bella. Without you, none of this would be over."

Bella smiled, sipping her chocolate. "I just have some questions," she told her mug, though she meant them for Cali.

"Ask away," Cali invited.

Bella looked up at her, cradling the hot cup between her cold hands. "I heal, whether in wolf or human form. Why? I feel so raw and new every time I turn, like I'm two different beings trying to merge into one. Do others feel like that?"

Cali smiled and sipped her tea before quite simply saying, "you're an Alpha, Bella."

Bella nearly dropped her mug and managed to catch it before it clattered to the table and spilled everywhere. "What?" She demanded.

"Only Alpha's can heal when in human form, and in wolf form."

Bella glanced at Cali's scars blatantly because she didn't want to say it out loud. "I am the leader, but not the Alpha, Bella. You see, to become an Alpha, you must fight. I did notheal. As you can tell by the scar under my eye. However, the person I fought did not heal either, and due to the injures, died."

Bella didn't know what to say and was glad when Cali continued to speak. "It must happen under the half moon. Bella, it is your destiny to become the Alpha of this pack."

The brunette shook her head quickly. "No, no! I'm only nineteen. I'm a child, I'm not wise like you. I can't protect them, and lead them and be their Alpha, Cali."

Cali chuckled under her breath. "Think about it. Go home and rest. Come back tomorrow with your decision."

"Why the morning? I think I need a week's sleep," Bella half joked, drinking the rest of her hot chocolate.

Cali smiled. "Because there will be a half moon in the clear morning sky."

Bella wanted to argue her point again, but her Alpha wouldn't listen. Instead she ordered Bella to go home and sleep. Bella didn't argue, because she wanted it more than anything. At nearly eight in the morning, Bella entered the Denali home, dressed in ill-fitting clothes and snuck up the stairs into her room.

Bella stumbled to a halt at the sight of Kate curled up on Bella's bed, clinging one of Bella's hoodies to her chest. As Bella got closer, she noticed the skin under Kate's eyes were red raw as if she had been crying for hours. Bella's heart tightened and guilt plagued her but she slid into her and curled herself around Kate's body before falling to sleep.

When she awoke, it was to a sharp rapping on her door. Startled, Bella looked to her clock, surprised to see it was half six in the evening but still feeling tired and weak. When Bella yawned, the door opened and a smiling Kate walked in carrying a tray piled with food and drink. Bella's stomach grumbled and she accepted it hungrily.

She barely managed a thank you as she dug in and stuffed her face with the multiple selections of food. She paused just for a moment as Kate touched her fingers to Bella's cheek, her face lit up as she whispered, "I'm so glad you're okay. Waking up you this morning was amazing."

Bella flushed, still stuffing her face but she knew Kate wouldn't want her to say anything. There was nothing more to be said. She was okay now, Lisa was gone and Kate wanted her in her life. Kate kept touching Bella's knee as she asked, "guess what?"

"Hmm?" Bella mumbled through some chicken.

"I have exciting news."

Bella nodded to indicate Kate to keep talking as she moved on to some soup. "Your case is officially closed."

Bella raised an eyebrow and cocked her head. Kate explained gently: "the rest of my team was called to a fire this morning. They found your sisters remains and once they traced her fake cards and ID's to a hotel room she was staying in, they found her diary… she spoke about you a lot, and… all the things she had done."

Bella nearly choked on some warm, seedy bread and her eyes flew open. "What?" She gasped through her food.

"Calm down, she didn't mention anything about actually being a wolf. She spoke about her transformation and her kills, and the power in her new form, but she didn't use any supernatural words, so the police don't know anything and they just assume she meant her transformation into a killer or persona or something."

Bella took a deep breath and gulped down some orange juice. But she nearly choked again when Kate said: "they've offered us the chance to adopt you."

"No," Bella said immediately as she removed the glass from her lips.

Kate's face fell but she tried to cover it with a smile. Bella smoothed her hand down Kate's cheek, stealing her attention. "No, Kate. I don't want to be part of the family that way. I want to be yours. I want to be part of the family through marriage… one day," she whispered shyly.

Kate's smile picked back up and she leaned forward for a quick, intense kiss before pulling away. "So, anything you want to tell me?"

For the rest of the night, after a shower, some time with the Denali's and dinner, Kate and Bella found themselves in Kate's bed because it was bigger and more personal that Bella's guest room. Bella told her about the night before, right up to the point where she had killed Lisa. She finished with the offer from Cali to be Alpha.

After much discussion about the opportunity and what they would tell the Denali's, what Bella's daily job would be and places they could live, followed with some intense kissing and hugging, the two of them fell asleep together. By the next morning Bella had made her mind up and she felt more in control and excited for her life than she ever had before.

When she arrived at the village, there was an upbeat atmosphere and the smells of breakfast in the air. When Cali saw Bella striding in with a large smile and confident posture, she asked her immediately, "you're ready, aren't you?" and then, when Bella nodded her agreement: "follow me."

Bella followed after Cali until they stopped at what looked like a pit to Bella. There was a large fence around it and an excited crowd. Bella wondered when they had gotten there, as she hadn't seen or heard any of the pack following her. Cali gestured her into the pit and informed her: "first you fight me, and if you succeed, you fight another."

Bella's heart summersaulted. She didn't want to fight, she was too tired and she didn't want to hurt anyone, especially not Cali. But she was excited for the prospect being offered to her. She could be Alpha very soon. For the rest of her life Bella would barely remember the fighting. Only key points.

Her transformation, fighting Cali for a solid hour before Cali finally collapsed and Bella won at Cali's bowed head of submission. Proud and tired, Bella had lifted her head and roared. She was congratulated by many before she had to fight another to prove her strength and healing abilities.

She won that fight too and it was a lot shorter than the previous one with Cali. That was when Kate turned up, and Cali informed her of the mating ritual that would now have to take place due to her before Alpha. The pack had to accept Kate as the Alpha's made and learn to respect her like they would respect Bella.

Bella remembered every moment of the mating ritual. First, Cali introduced herself to Kate and then introduced Kate to the pack. Then she pulled Bella and Kate side by side and performed the ritual, using an old dialogue that had been used in every mating ritual within the pack.

"Bella, our Alpha and her mate: Kate Denali, sheriff and protector of our town and pack, you stand before us and receive our blessing, and congratulations as you bond yourselves as mates for life. You are both welcome to this pack, and held within the strength of this pack. We wish you our best, and pledge our lives to your safety."

Bella had been overcome with emotion, perhaps because her wolf recognized the ceremony and the title that she had just one, and so she couldn't repress the passionate kiss she had shared with Kate who pulled away shortly after, flushed and breathless. With an almost giddy air to her, Kate asked, "did we just get married?"

"Not a chance," Bella grinned. "We haven't even been on a date yet."

They laughed together before Kate pressed her lips to Bella's again and whispered, "we'll have to change that."

"Of course, but let's not rush; we've got plenty of time."

 **AN: So this wasn't my best story and no doubt a lot of people haven't enjoyed it but I thought it was fun to write. Thanks to everyone for your support I look forward to starting my new story and hope to see you there thanks again.**

 **Massive thank you to my wonderful beta LeighJ11 she has been amazing through this story and the others!**


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